Again in February 2008, Will Smith was among the many attendees at ESSENCE journal’s inaugural Black Ladies in Hollywood luncheon, honoring the late actress Ruby Dee, business legend Suzanne dePasse, actress Jurnee Smollett and Smith’s spouse, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. As he handed by my desk, I ended him and requested, “When would possibly you report a brand new album?”
And he politely replied with amusing, “I feel that practice has left the station.”
In sharing that reminiscence with him throughout a Zoom name earlier this week about his new single and album, the Grammy winner breaks once more into his signature chuckle, noting, “Trains are humorous like that.” Then he goes on to acknowledge, “This can be a lovely time in my life.”
That’s due to the formal announcement of Smith’s first album in additional than 20 years, Primarily based on True Story, due in March through SLANG Recordings. In tandem with that reveal got here the discharge of his new single “Lovely Scars” with Large Sean and that includes Obanga. Produced by OmArr and LeXoskeleton, the music was world-premiered throughout an iHeartRadio Stay interview with Smith and is certainly one of 4 singles previous the album’s arrival.
That rollout started final yr with “You Can Make It” that includes Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir (his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart: “My grandmother is DJing in heaven proper now”), “Work of Artwork” with Russ and that includes Smith’s son Jaden and “TANTRUM” with Joyner Lucas. All 4 songs can be included on what’s Smith’s most private and introspective album to this point.
That introspection is chief among the many topics that Smith delved into throughout his Billboard chat, which additionally touches on his plans to launch not one however three albums below the Primarily based on a True Story banner (which Smith describes as “three seasons of a TV musical present”), the writers and producers he’s been collaborating with and performing reside over the approaching yr. He most just lately carried out two sold-out exhibits in December in San Diego at The Observatory North Park. And Smith is already booked to headline France’s 2025 Positiv Pageant on July 31.
“Getting again out metropolis to metropolis, seeing individuals and feeling the vitality retains me creatively alive,” says the Philadelphia native and fervent fan of the Tremendous Bowl-bound Eagles (“It’s time for my Eagles; we’re unbeatable”). “Like how they’re doing the kick drums somewhat totally different in Chicago than somewhere else; like what’s occurring with Afrobeats. I’m excited to go all over the world and meet artists. I’m extra inventive than I’ve ever been, a greater actor than I’ve ever been, a greater poet than I’ve ever been … I’m going to be higher on stage than I’ve ever been. I’m simply on hearth about this subsequent artistic section of my life and profession.”
What prompted your resolution to report a brand new album?
It began with [2022 film] Emancipation. It was a drama set throughout slavery, the primary time I actually did a deep dive on that interval in America. So I am going into this character, getting a extremely profound comprehension of the connection between God and struggling. Individuals in these circumstances have been typically religious; you need to be to outlive these circumstances. So I’m on this character and it was depressing making a movie like that, getting known as n—a all day lengthy. Then Covid hit and I needed to be in that character, reside in that area longer than I assumed. Three to 4 months become virtually a yr. And that had by no means occurred to me as an actor earlier than. I began having desires because the character.
That’s a protracted approach to say {that a} properly opened up within me, a properly of understanding of artwork and ache … every kind of issues that I didn’t even know have been in there. Then after the Oscars, that religious investigation continued and a complete world awoke inside that I didn’t even know was there. Desires, visions; elements of my inside panorama that I had no consciousness of prior to 3 years in the past. And that opened up this effervescent to share what I’m seeing and experiencing, to discover. A giant a part of my music now’s about that: the ecstatic form of pleasure I keep in mind from church after I was rising up; the power to attempt to make this place extra bearable. You already know, I’ve all the time had a wild creativeness; that’s a part of who I’m. However there’s one thing new occurring with me that’s demanding I discover musically.
Speak in regards to the origin of “Lovely Scars.”
Generally it may seem to be the worst factor that’s ever occurred to you, that’s utterly unsurvivable, can develop into one of the crucial magnificent experiences of our lives. And that was the enjoyable of doing The Matrix-inspired video. That’s one of many lovely scars of my profession that I turned down. There’s additionally a Japanese artwork known as Kintsugi: as a substitute of throwing away damaged dishes, they paint them with gold. They usually make the “damaged dish” grow to be much more lovely than the unique. That’s the idea of “Lovely Scars.” That there’s an actual means of transformation and alchemy in any state of affairs. Like therapeutic is artwork and making a life is an inventive course of. Studying to like the elements of ourselves that others would possibly deem ugly. Someone would possibly name it a scar. However we see it as lovely, one thing that can be one of many biggest property of our lives going ahead.
Large Sean and Will Smith
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What have been you on the lookout for in selecting the collaborators for these first 4 songs?
It’s individuals who have been with me throughout my tough time after the Oscars. Joyner was one of many first individuals to achieve out and provide no matter assist he may. So this primary spherical of collabs are buddies and allies.
How did you land on the title Primarily based on a True Story?
I’ve most likely recorded 60 songs by now, so I used to be making an attempt to give you one title for the entire physique of labor. I’m speaking so many alternative tempos and vitality: there’s a gospel report, then a hardcore hip-hop report. It was about simply letting no matter come out in a extremely wild, colourful and diverse method. What I made a decision to do is separate the fabric into seasons like a tv present. So I’m releasing three seasons of this tv musical present and calling the ten tracks for every season “episodes” as a substitute of songs. The primary season is named Rave within the Wasteland. The precise date hasn’t been picked but, however I’m releasing season one on the finish of March. It’s in regards to the thought of studying to bounce in your darkest second. It’s additionally all of the issues I wrote straight after the Oscars. The second season is named The Present of Insanity and that’s a Quincy Jones quote. Quincy was doing an interview as soon as the place someone mentioned Quincy, you’ve picked Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. What did you see in these individuals in seed type? And Quincy mentioned all three of them have the reward of insanity, that they consider unattainable shit can occur. So season two’s music lends itself to that: perception and potentialities, far more upbeat and joyful. We’re seeking to launch that in June. For yet-untitled season three, we’re trying on the finish of the yr.
On the writing and manufacturing aspect, what different collaborators did you carry on board?
I’m working with two younger writers/rappers that have been an enormous a part of working with Joyner: Chiller and Symba. They’re sitting with me on each single observe, ensuring I’m getting my concepts out proper, serving to me transition to present flows, observe choice and all of that. They’re protecting me from going too old-fashioned. There’s additionally my longtime buddy OmArrRambert. We grew up on the identical block collectively and he was a dancer for DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Contemporary Prince. Then after I did The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air, he was an enormous a part of all of the wardrobe appears to be like on the present. His first shot at producing was engaged on [Smith’s 1997 debut solo album] Large Willie Fashion. The primary music that he govt produced was “Males in Black” for which he discovered The Trackmasters [production duo Poke & Tone]. Now that is the primary undertaking that he’s solely govt producing.
Once you stepped again into recording, what recommendation did your youngsters Jaden and Willow offer you?
Jayden was like, “Dad, simply don’t waste plenty of time interested by it. Write it, report it, launch it. Don’t get so valuable that you simply don’t put it out.” He additionally mentioned simply launch singles. That was actually exhausting for me as I wish to have an entire thought, a physique of labor. And Willow saved telling me, “Dad, don’t attempt to make hits. Simply make what you assume and really feel. And if it’s a success, it’s a success. If it’s not, it’s not. Give attention to expression and never making an attempt to have it land in a sure method.” What I discovered is that that’s how one can begin to be contrived as an artist. I wish to be free. That was one of many difficulties having a No. 1 gospel report. I used to be like, “Oh, no. I’m not going to be allowed to do all the opposite stuff I wish to do.” So I’m making an attempt to remain open to discover and create actually, to provide myself the liberty to embrace my full humanity.
Past the pageant in France this summer time, are you planning to tour in help of the brand new album?
I’ve by no means finished a full tour. Everyone I say that to thinks, “Nicely no, you should have finished a tour earlier than as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Contemporary Prince.” We did do dates on excursions. However we had our huge single in 1988 [“Parents Just Don’t Understand”] and we received the Grammy in 1989. Then Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air began in 1990. I used to be capturing that for 9 months out of the yr for the following six years. So I’ve by no means really constructed a stage and finished a tour. I’m excited in regards to the mixture of absolute nostalgia that individuals really feel with songs like “Miami,” “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Summertime,” then having the ability to make a present, which is the thought for Primarily based on a True Story. So I’m beginning exterior of the nation this summer time; my getting in form. My dream is to work my method right into a stadium tour. I’ll most likely do arenas this yr and subsequent yr to see can I construct a sufficiently big, thrilling sufficient present to require a stadium run. I’ve gigantic concepts about staging, utilizing music, performing and screens — I’ve had a present in my thoughts for nearly a decade, So I’m excited, when it comes to the brand new know-how, to lastly have the ability to construct this factor I’ve been seeing in my head.
Given your musical legacy, what issues most to you as an artist now?
The best pleasure for me is to look at individuals pay attention, clap, cry or be riveted by the creation of a memorable second. On the finish of the day, what you need is individuals having the ability to say, “Keep in mind that time when…?” and the recalling of the reminiscence is as ecstatic because the preliminary expertise. Music actually has a method to do this. Motion pictures positively can do it, however not the best way music can. Once you hit that corresponding vibration in someone’s coronary heart with a music, it’s a complete totally different form of factor.
