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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesA year ago, the multi-faceted, multi-talented Jaden Smith decided to make some changes to his brand and his forthcoming music, starting with his last name.
In his new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the actor and musician explained his sister, Willow, formerly known as Willow Smith, inspired him to drop his last name to make a more declarative musical statement.
“I realized that Willow changed her name to Willow at some point in time and that she was no longer Willow Smith,” Jaden said. “Yeah, it took me a while. Because if you look Willow Smith up, it’ll still come up [online]. But then it took me a while to see that it was just Willow.”
He continued, “And I was like, ‘Yo. That’s so strong. You feel like you don’t have to say your last name. You’re just Willow.”
Ahead of his mixtape, The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 3, Jaden released his buoyant track “Cabin Fever,” about staying indoors with your lover. This marks Jaden’s first full-length project since his Erys album in 2019. He released The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1 Mixtape in 2012 and CTV2 in 2014.
By Rachel George
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