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Talk about talent running in the family. Nine-year-old Willow Smith, daughter of Jada Pinkett Smith (star of Hawthorne but also a singer with rock band Wicked Wisdom), and father Will Smith (star of everything else), is making her own mark on the entertainment world with a new hip-hop single, "I Whip My Hair." Listen to it here:
Whip My Hair - Willow Smith by Rap-Up
Catchy, huh? And let's talk about that voice for a minute: Can you believe that Willow Smith is only nine? She sounds at least twice as old as Justin Bieber! Actually, she sounds a lot like a certain other R&B singer -- and the Internet is already rampant with comparisons to Rihanna, 22. The song is trending like crazy on Twitter, with Smith's new fans including Solange Knowles (who tweeted, "WIllow Smith make me wanna whip some haiiirrr in this house"), Brandy (who tweeted, "Ms Willow is not to be played with!!") and Justin Bieber's video director Alfredo Flores (who tweeted, "Rihanna, Keri, Ciara, Ashanti - please be warned.").
Willow Smith is certainly very young to be stepping into the music industry, but both Will and Jada entered show business as teenagers, and older brother Jaden, now 12, was 8 years old when he made his critically acclaimed film debut in The Pursuit of Happyness. And hey, she's way older than that pop-star icon Michael Jackson was when he got his start (at age four!).
And Jay-Z has already scooped Willow up and signed her to his Roc Nation label. Hopefully that means the song will be available for purchase on iTunes before too long! Now, excuse us while we scroll up and listen to it again while we whip our hair back and forth.
Are you surprised how mature Willow Smith sounds for her age? Chime in below!
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