I’m not normally one to get excited about child stars. I look at some of these pint-sized performers sometimes and get that uncomfortable pay no attention to the man behind the curtain feeling. But when one as prodigiously talented as Willow Smith comes along, with a pedigree to match, well, you have to tip your hat. Or, in her case, whip your hair.
The daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith made a splash with the release of her first single, “Whip My Hair.” The song, released two weeks ago, has already climbed to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, putting her on the road to bona fide stardom. Have I mentioned that she is 9 years old? You’ll want to remember that when you watch the video.
Whoa, right? Now the song itself is as maddeningly simple as it is catchy. “Whip My Hair” makes up fully two-thirds of the lyrics. But little Willow’s charisma is what sells it. Girl’s got swagger. Better yet, the video is age appropriate and empowering. Also, girl can really whip her hair.
Of course, then I thought, well maybe that video is just exceptionally well produced. Perhaps she can’t really perform like that in person. Editing is a hell of a thing. But then she was on with Ellen DeGeneres earlier this week and that charisma is no fluke.
Besides worrying about a future generation afflicted with chronic whiplash, I’m pretty impressed with Willow. And it begs the question, which celebrity spawn will be next to break out in the big way? Suri Cruise, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, you’ve been served.
