Today, Willow Smith released her new single “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l feat. Travis Barker,” out now via MSFTSMusic/Roc Nation Records.
The song is the first taste of her forthcoming full-length album, out this summer. The alt-rock track features heavy guitars, with a feature by pop-punk hero, Travis Barker of Blink-182 and marks a major sonic evolution for WILLOW.
“I am so grateful for this tune because it was created in such an introspective time (during the first couple months of quarantine),” she says. “It was the song that proved to me that I needed to let go of the insecurities I had about making a project of this genre.”
The track was unveiled via Beats1’s Zane Lowe as a New Music Daily this morning. WILLOW has also released a companion performance video directed by multidisciplinary creative force Dana Trippe, who is known for her work with Haim, Demi Lovato, and more.
Rolling Stone, who premiered the performance visual today, says the track finds WILLOW going “full pop-punk… draw[ing] from the music of Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Barker’s own band Blink-182.”
“t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l feat. Travis Barker” tees off the album rollout, showcasing WILLOW’s own spin on emo and punk. It feels both nostalgic and modern, with a catchy hook and snappy melody that makes the song move like lightning.
The lyrics were inspired by a quote from a “beautiful swami” she knows personally: “It is said that a saintly person is so pure that he or she acts like a spotless mirror. When we come in the presence of such mirror-like soul, we can see both the beauty and ugliness of our inner life.”