Tbf, there are Wikipedia entries for people I know whose parents are apparently also famous enough for their own Wikibio but I don't know those people. For example, Billie Eilish's parents Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell are both famous in their own right, but most people would probably recognize Billie's name before her parents these days.
True, but the argument is having two parents names with blue links means they are at least somewhat famous or kniwn for something outside of a community. Therefore, their child is likely to have been given opportunities (either economically or "lnowing people") that opens doors others don't have a chance at.
It's in the same vein as Trump saying he got a "small loan" of a million dollars and "built his name" from there. His starter money and name were already established.
Or their parents are well renowned in completely different fields. For example, Jack Black's mother (Judith Love Cohen) was a well renowned aerospace engineer, having worked on the Minuteman, Hubble and Apollo programs.
I think to further prove your point, Billie Eilish’s Wikipedia page doesn’t expressly mention her parents until you get to the “Early Life” portion of her bio. Willow Smith’s page literally starts with “The daughter of…” in the second sentence of her bio.
It means your parents have their own page because they are also famous. I know that any moron can have a page, that is not the point. You can "Well actually" me all you like.
I don't think any moron can have a page because you're not allowed to write your own page so someone else has to write one for you using sources from articles and things. That takes a certain level of fame.
I'm prepared for this to be a joke I don't get, but that's her middle name. I recently learned that her parents got it from a conjoined twin who was in the news around the time Billie was born.
So the money, the advice/wisdom, the connections, the clout of having 2 parents that are both famous actors for the last 30 years has nothing to do w it? The red table talks, the book/s, the slap. Basically any and everything they do effects willows career bcz they’re her parents
This is like the director who claimed his daughter's success was 100% only her own work and nothing at all to do with the fact he had her with him on set all the time from a young age...
Nepotism is a thing and it shouldn’t be discounted but there are levels.
There is a difference between a a kid having the opportunity to learn from their insider parents versus parents literally fabricating careers for their kids.
Like the guy who wrote Eragon was a teenager who liked to write. Would he have been published at 16 without his parents there to guide him and get doors open? Probably not. Did he actually write a book? Certainly. Never mind getting published most people who start to write a novel do not finish it.
(I know Eragon was very trite and generally considered a rip of if many other works but still.)
On the other hand, in the case of the Smith kids their parents very much did make their careers happen. Will was able to throw is fame and his weight around to carry his kid into movies. Willow was very much bankable because of who her parents are.
What many people fail to realize when talking about out rich parents or connected parents is that it allows someone the ability to fail multiple times without risking their position in life. Someone from a middle class family has this too for maybe once. Poor people don’t have any room to fail which means they can’t take as big of a risk as other more well off people
> There is a difference between a a kid having the opportunity to learn from their insider parents versus parents literally fabricating careers for their kids.
Why did mine do everything in their power to make sure my adult life would be fucking ruined?
Something in your parents is broken. I understand my parents were like this.
My therapist friend said to me parents like this think they are preparing you for the harsh reality of world. I don't understand how important a safe place can be.
> Something in your parents is broken.
No, cause they did a good job on the youngest and the oldest was spoiled. Me having to beg for being treated like a human is abnormal.
That doesn’t change the fact that something in your parents is broken.
If I could enforce one piece of wisdom on the world, it’s that it’s not your fault your parents did what they did. I mean that in all aspects - abuse and neglect, but also loving and supporting. You weren’t a bad kid so your parents were abusive to you - something in them was borked and they failed you as parents. Just because they didn’t fail your siblings doesn’t negate the damage they did to you, and more importantly doesn’t excuse them from it.
And just to be clear, the reason i included “loving and supporting” in that sentence is that there are spoiled subhuman garbage in the world who think that because their parents supported them throughout their lives that it’s somehow something they did. It’s not. Parents are supposed to love and support all their kids, and you just got lucky (or in our case, unlucky).
Christopher Paolini. And I’ve met him at book signings. He is nothing but humble and loves to tell how his parents made his dream a reality and how it almost bankrupted them.
Eragon wasn't an outstanding book, or series of books.
But it was a good. It deserved, on it's own merits, to be published.
Was it a predictable story? Yes. Did it follow in the footsteps of other prior stories and books? Sure.
Plenty of books do that though, and this wasn't just copypasta storytelling.
Would it have been published without his parents? Maybe, maybe not. Christopher definitely had doors opened for him by his parents, but he at least proved that he was competent enough. Not competent enough to keep pushing MORE doors opened himself, but also not bad enough to get them slammed behind him.
>not competent enough to keep pushing more doors open for himself
Dude got a movie deal (turned out shit, but that’s beside the point) and has a TV series in the works with Disney. I think he’s opening doors for himself just fine.
I wouldn't blame him for the movie being shit, tbh. They cut out 90% of the content.
He's opening tiny windows. He's squeaking along, and making a living. He's not releasing any other hits. He's not becoming a popular name. He's not making a fortune.
Also the financial assurance you can make any meeting/audition/interview/whatever, without worrying about leaving your day job that you need to pay your bills.
Exactly. Not uprooting your life from nowhere Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in hopes of making it big, in a city where you know literally no one, and spent all your money on gas getting there.
I think the surprising part is that she thinks she's successful. Apparently she's won several industry awards that I haven't heard of, in addition to just finding out now that she exists in the first place.
I have no idea...From the article...
She added that being a black woman means the term ‘nepo baby’ doesn’t quite apply to her, regardless of who her parents are.
“Being black in America, even with privilege, which I’m never going to deny that I have, you’re still black,” she said.
“And I love being Black. People would look at me and [say], ‘Okay, well, her parents are this and this and that, but she still is like me. She still has brown skin’.”
“And we all know that that doesn’t exempt you from anything, and that’s a place of connection.” Smith stated.
Edit: did they pick and choose which quotes and mash them together? It just makes ZERO sense to me
Exactly, the only reason Jaden got any roles was because his dad pulled strings. In After Earth Will Smith got all the promotion even though he was stuck in the ship the whole movie.
I don’t mind famous people’s children going on to find success in entertainment, but god damn is it annoying when they talk about how they fucking made it themselves or some shit. Like anyone who talks about being “self made” is usually full of shit already. This level of connection with the industry is something that you literally can’t buy. Not even a Saudi can get the same level of treatment.
Like… even if what she produces could be considered good, good product is not enough in today’s world to get you stardom. It’s luck and connections for sure.
I think we shouldnt be necesarily envious of those who had better oportunities.
But damn, girl, trying to act as if they didnt influence your sucess at all is not only offensive to us, but your parents as well. Imagine doing everything in your hands to push your children career and them denying it. Ungrateful twats
Would be cool if one nepobaby was like yep I am famous because of my parents. I'm rich af because of my parents. Alright? Follow me if you want or not.
Some of them do. Miley Cyrus has said before "Some people think that my father is using me to boost his career, but technically I used my dad to get to where I am". She has also said that her father went from nothing to being famous, while she started life with everything and she didn't necessarily realize it as a kid because that was just normal for her.
I mean she’s always had a successful brand. Because she was her own brand.
Paris’ career and success was SUPER calculated. She was very knowledgeable about what she did when she was doing it.
Intriguing. Did not know that. At least it’s a scenario where yea, he got the bumpers in the lane but still went on to throw a clean strike multiple times. Would love to be able to see an alternate reality where his mom wasn’t an agent and instead he snuck out to get to the audition instead of school, to see if that would have changed his chances at all.
Like, yeah, he did most of the work himself, but like, his mom being a prominent child actor agent in the UK definitely helped him get the most famous part, like his mom was basically the first person outside the film to know the casting call went out
Makes sense now, right? Not that I overly enjoy the song or anything, but this music thing has been the plan since then. It’s why they gave her a hit single
i was just playing her radio station at work and my coworkers were all surprised at how many of the songs that caught their attention were hers. she's come a long way musically which ofc her dad had connections... but i don't think he was ever as creative or experimental as she has become. i appreciate the way she has been utilizing her blessings and look forward to what she does next. It must be really hard to have such famous and messy parents tbh.
I am kinda lightweight shitting on her in this thread. What would be some songs to check out from her? I would like to at least give her music a listen before I keep trying to smudge her name haha thanks!
b i g f e e l i n g s, Gaslight, and transparent soul are some of my favs. I haven’t listened to her newest album much, but there’s several noteworthy songs on it
I listened to all three. They were all chill. Outside of some nostalgic bands, the pop punk sound isn’t my favorite, so I liked b i g f e e l i n g s the most. Listened to some other tracks too and find i enjoy the newer sound she has with the newest album. Not really sure if it is something I’d find myself listening to a lot, but she sounds good and the music is interesting. I can see the more pop punk sounding stuff being total ear worms though. Thanks for the recs 🫱🏼🫲🏽
I love any opportunity to say that pop punk isn’t dead, and I love how classic sounding her pop punk stuff is. That being said, I do prefer the more complex and arranged sounds of her newest for sure- much more my style.
Since they totally mischaracterized what she ACTUALLY said, super malicious, No, it shouldn’t be. Can’t even make up a fake accusation correctly, stupid tabloid.
A lot of people are good singers. Not many people have parents who have connections within the entertainment industry, though. Love her music, but she would not have gotten famous without her parents. It would have been better if she acknowledged her privilege in regards to getting a record label deal, then took credit for _sustaining_ her career.
Man there’s a lot of undeserved hate for Willow on Reddit right now following how successful her tiny desk set was last week. She’s being misquoted:
“I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents,”
“That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong. But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s**t to anybody.
“I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker.”
Read the actual [article](https://www.joe.ie/entertainment/willow-smith-says-her-success-is-nothing-to-do-with-her-parents-799827) folks. She doesn’t deny her parents influence she was merely discussing the insecurities its brought her.
It’s a shame how many of you all didn’t bother reading the article and are flaming Willow for something she never said to behind with. Just took the click bait title at face value. She’s aware her parents have had an impact on her success, and she’s objectively a good musician. Those things are mutually exclusive and she herself has said that numerous times.
Lotta ppl gettin mad in these comments over nothing. The headline is a gross misrepresentation of what the quote is on top. I even read the article and she doesn’t say anything like that.
She said “people think the ONLY reason I’m successful is because of my parents” which implies that yes, that’s a factor, but there are other reasons as well, but the title is making it out to seem like she’s saying her being apart of the smith family hasn’t helped her at all. We all know it’s helped, including her. But she has done a lot to prove herself and show she has her own noteworthy talents and I think that’s the point she’s trying to get across. It’s not like the typical nepo baby shit where they act like their success is all self made, and they had it just as hard as everyone else.
She also says people calling her a nepo baby has only pushed her harder to prove that she can stand on her own and that she personally feels the nepo baby title doesn’t apply as much because as a person of color she’s still had to face obstacles to reach the point she has.
tbh i can imagine that itd be frustrating that you could never outshine your parents, even for a moment. forever in their shadow. especially when your parents raised you to be a star and you still cant get past the mediocre level. if it were me, it would probably give some kind psychological complex.
shes pretty young, its not that surprising/shocking that she said something like this.
It’s true that most people know who Willow is because of her parents. Her early hits when she was a kid like Whip My Hair would likely not have been made, let alone popularized. However, I wish the current discussions were actually surrounding the new music. The reason that we know who she is is irrelevant when the discussion surrounds how fucking incredible her new music is. From a music theory perspective, the recent releases have been wildly impressive. Highly recommend listening to the brand new album, specifically “b i g f e e l i n g s” if you like progressive music that makes you think about more than just lyrics.
[Spotify link to “b i g f e e l i n g s”](https://open.spotify.com/track/0Xfkeu82ju4uni0CH2z9XN?si=UEadYdlwQFqcVU_XNsyKSg)
I actually really like her song Symptom of Life. I don't know anything else by her except that ridiculous hair whipping song. But I just skipped through her new album and it sounds pretty cool, I must say.
And she managed to get them without any influence of her parents, just like any other under privileged black girl in America. The roots just travel around make records with them, regardless of who their parents are.
she's genuinely not a bad musician/singer, she just did a tiny desk concert. it's not overwhelmingly impressive but pretty cool she's just pursuing her own sound since she has the position to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmC2QQESN6E
she's kinda the ideal nepo baby, keeps her head down until she's ready to release new music and actually works on her musical skills
edit: not sure if i'm getting downvoted by bitter people who don't want to hear anything but hate, she's definitely only known bc of her parents was just saying she's not an awful singer, but y'all can stay jealous and mad all you want til you land a tiny desk of your own lmfao
edit 2: now i'm not downvoted, life comes at you fast
But unlikely to have been “discovered” with that level of talent were it not for her already famous parents. That’s what it comes down to, either having connections or having great luck.
oh, 100%. like she may not even have landed the tiny desk just on her own pull, it might have been some influence from parents to get her ahead of other talented artists.
but she's still the one performing for it, and following her own vision of what her music sounds like, regardless how people feel about her. she's actually putting her money/nepotism where her mouth is, is all i was saying
I'm not sure what that means though. Other musicians put in lots of effort, have more talents, but don't have famous parents and the best they will ever do is busk.
She is only in front of people because of her parents. Take that away and double her talent... she is just a nobody that no one will ever hear of
you're "not sure what that means" because you are comparing a nepo baby to actual talent.
i am comparing this nepo baby to other nepo babies that seem to think their parents are the start and finish of the qualifications they need to bring to the table.
willow smith, while boosted by her parents' fame and influence, is not just coasting on it like many others clearly do in her position - she's putting in work to improve her art and try to find a unique musical voice, not just hiring production teams to write her some top 40 earworms. hence i said she's the "ideal nepo baby" - notice i didn't say "ideal musician".
does that clarify?
edit: or are you just confused because you missed where i said in my first comment "she's definitely only known bc of her parents" and you think you're making a point about her being a nepotism beneficiary? bc that's kinda what this whole thread is about, not sure why you need to repeat the one statement everyone in these comments agrees with
i guess *i'm* confused what you think your comment is adding to this discussion
I think any basic Google search could answer your question. She has a song on Spotify with over 1 Billion streams, and a few others with well over 100 Million.. she may be oblivious to the fact her parents connections helped her but she is an objectively successful musician by any metric.
“I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I'm successful is because of my parents,” she told Allure in a cover story published Thursday. She added: “That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong."
A basic Google search 'willow smith interview people think that' and the entire quote pops up. Doesn't sound like she's oblivious.
I have to admit, she’s a pretty legit musician. She writes her own songs and plays multiple instruments- between her and Jaden, she is definitely the talented one of the siblings. However you can find dozens of talented musicians of her calibre with movie star looks and song writing chops on TikTok and many of them will never have the success she has. Her parents absolutely got her foot thru the door.
They def helped her get through the door, and the piles of cash also helped her focus on developing musical talent rather than trying to survive. It’s not just the direct opportunities they give her, it’s the massive amount of padding and safety net for her to explore whatever she wants without a care in the world. Most people are too busy managing life to pursue creative passions.
She was a guest on late night last week and the cable guide just said "WILLOW" and I was like who tf is that. Then at some point somebody brings up Jaden and I'm like "ohhhhhhh you're one of the smith kids"
That’s literally the opposite of what she has said in so many interviews lol, just today I listened to an interview of hers on Apple Music where she attributed a lot of her success on the influence of her parents
Listen, I'm not arguing she hasn't benefitted from nepotism, but she says she's successful, not famous. There are a lot of successful people who aren't universally recognized, ya know?
The sons and daughters of the rich have the time, resources, and connections to succeed. How many kids who were born into poverty could be the next Mozart but will never realize it because when they turn 18 they are working in an Amazon warehouse?
I will never care about rich kids or their art when they can’t even acknowledge the stepping stones they have while millions have to swim.
She still could have failed miserably even with famous parents, but she would certainly not have been given the opportunities and connections without them.
I think a more realistic perspective she could take is "I haven't fucked up the opportunities for success my parents created for me"
Edit: typo
If you're black and have smith in your name and are famous to any degree I will most likely assume you are related to Will Smith as that is how famous he is.
Idk why nepotism celebrities always play that card. Yes, you are creative and have good songs, but you would not be as successful if both your parents were extremely successful actors.
I heard one of her songs called Symptom of Life without knowing it was her, and she's talented for sure.
Complex chords ala Fiona Apple, was surprised.
If she had said her continued success, I'd agree. Like obviously her connections and wealth gave her an amazing starting point. But staying relevant is a whole other struggle.
There is absolutely NO WAY she would be where she is right now if she wasn't the daugher of... Wich is fine, I guess, it is what it is, but at least be humble and accept it.
Of course it has everything to do with her parents.
Having said that, that new song of hers is genuinely original and awesome. How many pop songs have 4/7 time signatures? I think it's more interesting and enjoyable than 99% of current pop music.
Nothing? Really? Is she really delusional enough to this k that if she were Willow Smith of the bumfuck nobody Smiths she would have had the same opportunities? Her parents' wealth, fame, and connections did not open any doors?
She very musically talented and could easily be recognized without her parents . But since she is so wealthy and doesn't have to grind and doesn't. I know of only two songs she has made smash hits and one was when she was a child . I mean putting out music every 5 years all other artist would starve.
If in your Wikipedia page, your parent's names both have links....
You'll never have to pay for drinks?
Your shits don’t stinks
You're into weird kinks...
You’ll always be petty and need a shrink?
Your mental will be pushed to the brink
You'll be irrelevant in a wink?
And vomiting in a sink.
Man, this really stinks!
But she don't care what nobody thinks.
Hold on let me think of a link
I fucked Jar Jar Binks!
You’re into twinks…
You’ll be as popular as Jar Jar Binks?
If the music industry calls you and asks if you'd like to get into music, you might be a nepo baby
Tbf, there are Wikipedia entries for people I know whose parents are apparently also famous enough for their own Wikibio but I don't know those people. For example, Billie Eilish's parents Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell are both famous in their own right, but most people would probably recognize Billie's name before her parents these days.
True, but the argument is having two parents names with blue links means they are at least somewhat famous or kniwn for something outside of a community. Therefore, their child is likely to have been given opportunities (either economically or "lnowing people") that opens doors others don't have a chance at. It's in the same vein as Trump saying he got a "small loan" of a million dollars and "built his name" from there. His starter money and name were already established.
If I recall, he had multiple trusts already paying him as a child, too. He was a millionaire by age 11 or something.
He was paid $200,000 a year as a consultant at age 3.
And he holds this level till today.
Didn't they find out he had lied/cheated and was stealing hundreds of millions from his dementia dad?
Or their parents are well renowned in completely different fields. For example, Jack Black's mother (Judith Love Cohen) was a well renowned aerospace engineer, having worked on the Minuteman, Hubble and Apollo programs.
Sure, but it does mean that money isn't an issue and you can take risks
But aerospace engineers do NOT make Will Smith money...
That explains a lot. Such an interesting guy
I think to further prove your point, Billie Eilish’s Wikipedia page doesn’t expressly mention her parents until you get to the “Early Life” portion of her bio. Willow Smith’s page literally starts with “The daughter of…” in the second sentence of her bio.
Yep, how they're mentioned is more important. If they have very short pages compared to their child, that's also a different story.
I think they are saying that having linked parents helps regardless of their actual fame, no?
It means your parents have their own page because they are also famous. I know that any moron can have a page, that is not the point. You can "Well actually" me all you like.
I don't think any moron can have a page because you're not allowed to write your own page so someone else has to write one for you using sources from articles and things. That takes a certain level of fame.
Aren’t her parents the Eilishes?
I'm prepared for this to be a joke I don't get, but that's her middle name. I recently learned that her parents got it from a conjoined twin who was in the news around the time Billie was born.
One of her middle names is Pirate
Ain't that a slap in the face
So the money, the advice/wisdom, the connections, the clout of having 2 parents that are both famous actors for the last 30 years has nothing to do w it? The red table talks, the book/s, the slap. Basically any and everything they do effects willows career bcz they’re her parents
This is like the director who claimed his daughter's success was 100% only her own work and nothing at all to do with the fact he had her with him on set all the time from a young age...
Nepotism is a thing and it shouldn’t be discounted but there are levels. There is a difference between a a kid having the opportunity to learn from their insider parents versus parents literally fabricating careers for their kids. Like the guy who wrote Eragon was a teenager who liked to write. Would he have been published at 16 without his parents there to guide him and get doors open? Probably not. Did he actually write a book? Certainly. Never mind getting published most people who start to write a novel do not finish it. (I know Eragon was very trite and generally considered a rip of if many other works but still.) On the other hand, in the case of the Smith kids their parents very much did make their careers happen. Will was able to throw is fame and his weight around to carry his kid into movies. Willow was very much bankable because of who her parents are.
What many people fail to realize when talking about out rich parents or connected parents is that it allows someone the ability to fail multiple times without risking their position in life. Someone from a middle class family has this too for maybe once. Poor people don’t have any room to fail which means they can’t take as big of a risk as other more well off people
Look at how many times Elon failed. He has failed to the tune of Billions in loses
And he has the equity to borrow off of, for essentially unlimited money
> There is a difference between a a kid having the opportunity to learn from their insider parents versus parents literally fabricating careers for their kids. Why did mine do everything in their power to make sure my adult life would be fucking ruined?
Look on the bright side. Once you are rich and famous you can tell everyone you are self made.
Something in your parents is broken. I understand my parents were like this. My therapist friend said to me parents like this think they are preparing you for the harsh reality of world. I don't understand how important a safe place can be.
> Something in your parents is broken. No, cause they did a good job on the youngest and the oldest was spoiled. Me having to beg for being treated like a human is abnormal.
That doesn’t change the fact that something in your parents is broken. If I could enforce one piece of wisdom on the world, it’s that it’s not your fault your parents did what they did. I mean that in all aspects - abuse and neglect, but also loving and supporting. You weren’t a bad kid so your parents were abusive to you - something in them was borked and they failed you as parents. Just because they didn’t fail your siblings doesn’t negate the damage they did to you, and more importantly doesn’t excuse them from it. And just to be clear, the reason i included “loving and supporting” in that sentence is that there are spoiled subhuman garbage in the world who think that because their parents supported them throughout their lives that it’s somehow something they did. It’s not. Parents are supposed to love and support all their kids, and you just got lucky (or in our case, unlucky).
Christopher Paolini. And I’ve met him at book signings. He is nothing but humble and loves to tell how his parents made his dream a reality and how it almost bankrupted them.
Eragon wasn't an outstanding book, or series of books. But it was a good. It deserved, on it's own merits, to be published. Was it a predictable story? Yes. Did it follow in the footsteps of other prior stories and books? Sure. Plenty of books do that though, and this wasn't just copypasta storytelling. Would it have been published without his parents? Maybe, maybe not. Christopher definitely had doors opened for him by his parents, but he at least proved that he was competent enough. Not competent enough to keep pushing MORE doors opened himself, but also not bad enough to get them slammed behind him.
>not competent enough to keep pushing more doors open for himself Dude got a movie deal (turned out shit, but that’s beside the point) and has a TV series in the works with Disney. I think he’s opening doors for himself just fine.
He also has continued to put out other books
One was just released in November!
I wouldn't blame him for the movie being shit, tbh. They cut out 90% of the content. He's opening tiny windows. He's squeaking along, and making a living. He's not releasing any other hits. He's not becoming a popular name. He's not making a fortune.
Aaron Spelling about Tori. Good pull!
Wasn’t sure if it was the Spellings or the Coppolas or Cronenbergs lol
TBF, I’m sure they all said some version of this. In this case I believe it was when 90210 kicked off.
Also the financial assurance you can make any meeting/audition/interview/whatever, without worrying about leaving your day job that you need to pay your bills.
Don't forget the financial assurance that even if you completely fail it doesn't really matter anyway.
Exactly. Not uprooting your life from nowhere Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in hopes of making it big, in a city where you know literally no one, and spent all your money on gas getting there.
Wow a celebrity's child is tone deaf to real struggle? Who could've guessed? Ugh
I think the surprising part is that she thinks she's successful. Apparently she's won several industry awards that I haven't heard of, in addition to just finding out now that she exists in the first place.
She also said her being black basically means she cant be a nepo baby
How does that make sense
I have no idea...From the article... She added that being a black woman means the term ‘nepo baby’ doesn’t quite apply to her, regardless of who her parents are. “Being black in America, even with privilege, which I’m never going to deny that I have, you’re still black,” she said. “And I love being Black. People would look at me and [say], ‘Okay, well, her parents are this and this and that, but she still is like me. She still has brown skin’.” “And we all know that that doesn’t exempt you from anything, and that’s a place of connection.” Smith stated. Edit: did they pick and choose which quotes and mash them together? It just makes ZERO sense to me
I don't get what she is even trying to say here.
Thats just Willow being Willow, she says so much stupid shit all the time. Most of the celebrities does, people just dont pay attention.
Exactly, the only reason Jaden got any roles was because his dad pulled strings. In After Earth Will Smith got all the promotion even though he was stuck in the ship the whole movie.
Remember the " I'm not a cowa....your a cowa!" Scene with jaden. Lol. Some random off the street can do better acting.
ugh, thankfully I don't. Imagine being a seasoned actor like Jackie Chan an have to work opposite to him in Karate Kid.
Jaden smith’s acting in karate kid remake had me rooting for the bad guys to kick his ass.
"I hit a triple!" they said after being born on third base
I don’t mind famous people’s children going on to find success in entertainment, but god damn is it annoying when they talk about how they fucking made it themselves or some shit. Like anyone who talks about being “self made” is usually full of shit already. This level of connection with the industry is something that you literally can’t buy. Not even a Saudi can get the same level of treatment.
Like… even if what she produces could be considered good, good product is not enough in today’s world to get you stardom. It’s luck and connections for sure.
I think we shouldnt be necesarily envious of those who had better oportunities. But damn, girl, trying to act as if they didnt influence your sucess at all is not only offensive to us, but your parents as well. Imagine doing everything in your hands to push your children career and them denying it. Ungrateful twats
I definitely don’t envy those ppl, but I agree w what you said
*affects
Don’t forget the freedom to fail. If she puts it all on the line and fails she will be fine, for most of us it spells ruin.
Kewl… yet another nepobaby trying to act like they did it all themselves.
Would be cool if one nepobaby was like yep I am famous because of my parents. I'm rich af because of my parents. Alright? Follow me if you want or not.
Some of them do. Miley Cyrus has said before "Some people think that my father is using me to boost his career, but technically I used my dad to get to where I am". She has also said that her father went from nothing to being famous, while she started life with everything and she didn't necessarily realize it as a kid because that was just normal for her.
i like her now, if she said that.
Say what you will about Paris in the early 2000’s but did not hide at all from her nepo baby life.
i mean that's literally why she was famous, has no talent outside of being a nepo baby.
Have you checked in on her lately? I feel like back then she was playing into the role. Check her out now, she’s a pretty successful brand.
I mean she’s always had a successful brand. Because she was her own brand. Paris’ career and success was SUPER calculated. She was very knowledgeable about what she did when she was doing it.
Dan Radclife is pretty open about being a nepo baby (his mom was a child actor agent)
Intriguing. Did not know that. At least it’s a scenario where yea, he got the bumpers in the lane but still went on to throw a clean strike multiple times. Would love to be able to see an alternate reality where his mom wasn’t an agent and instead he snuck out to get to the audition instead of school, to see if that would have changed his chances at all.
Like, yeah, he did most of the work himself, but like, his mom being a prominent child actor agent in the UK definitely helped him get the most famous part, like his mom was basically the first person outside the film to know the casting call went out
Born on third base and thought she hit a triple.
delulu privilege
Did you just bring Kewl back or have I been out of the loop too long?
It never left brah
Gag me with a spoon!
Does she still whip her hair back and forth?
Na she in the 5th dimension or whatever tf she sings about.
No, but she capped a bunch of her teeth. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0265/2297/6336/files/WILLOW_FRONT_COVER.jpg?v=1712624977
At least Erykah Badu had the class to pull her caps off to show you that it was all a front. But this chick actually thinks she started at the bottom.
Erykah also has talent, so there's that
WHY?
Wait, she's that person? Huh...
Makes sense now, right? Not that I overly enjoy the song or anything, but this music thing has been the plan since then. It’s why they gave her a hit single
Right, I was like who the hell is she again? This comment just hit me like oh her? Girl it was obvious it was nepotism then, and it still is.
The combo of shittiness in both the video and song was so overwhelming I still haven't fully processed it.
Nah, she makes really dope complex music now.
i was just playing her radio station at work and my coworkers were all surprised at how many of the songs that caught their attention were hers. she's come a long way musically which ofc her dad had connections... but i don't think he was ever as creative or experimental as she has become. i appreciate the way she has been utilizing her blessings and look forward to what she does next. It must be really hard to have such famous and messy parents tbh.
Pretty sure she's the most talented person in the family, at least musically
I am kinda lightweight shitting on her in this thread. What would be some songs to check out from her? I would like to at least give her music a listen before I keep trying to smudge her name haha thanks!
b i g f e e l i n g s, Gaslight, and transparent soul are some of my favs. I haven’t listened to her newest album much, but there’s several noteworthy songs on it
I listened to all three. They were all chill. Outside of some nostalgic bands, the pop punk sound isn’t my favorite, so I liked b i g f e e l i n g s the most. Listened to some other tracks too and find i enjoy the newer sound she has with the newest album. Not really sure if it is something I’d find myself listening to a lot, but she sounds good and the music is interesting. I can see the more pop punk sounding stuff being total ear worms though. Thanks for the recs 🫱🏼🫲🏽
I love any opportunity to say that pop punk isn’t dead, and I love how classic sounding her pop punk stuff is. That being said, I do prefer the more complex and arranged sounds of her newest for sure- much more my style.
Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young covering that song is what I will always think of when she is mentioned.
Nae.
shouldn't it be 'has nothing'
A clickbait article may not be *wrong*, but I’ll still debate it just for using poor grammar.
Since they totally mischaracterized what she ACTUALLY said, super malicious, No, it shouldn’t be. Can’t even make up a fake accusation correctly, stupid tabloid.
To be fair to her, her quote and the caption are two very different things.
Yeah... Someone doesn't know the difference between fame and success...
bingo. many of the most famous doctors were horribly unsuccessful at their job.
Yeah. Her parents were a massive contributing factor, but she technically HAS done some work
She’s also honestly really good. Ofc having all the connections and money helps but I’ve listened to way worse stuff from affirmed artists.
Exactly, her saying that they’re not the “only reason” for her success doesn’t mean she thinks it has “nothing to do” with them entirely.
A lot of people are good singers. Not many people have parents who have connections within the entertainment industry, though. Love her music, but she would not have gotten famous without her parents. It would have been better if she acknowledged her privilege in regards to getting a record label deal, then took credit for _sustaining_ her career.
She did do that, the title isn’t what she said in the article at all.
I believe she tried to make it on her own and her music got a lot less attention even if it is much better
Read the article.
It's reddit. We don't do that here.
Man there’s a lot of undeserved hate for Willow on Reddit right now following how successful her tiny desk set was last week. She’s being misquoted: “I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents,” “That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong. But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s**t to anybody. “I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker.” Read the actual [article](https://www.joe.ie/entertainment/willow-smith-says-her-success-is-nothing-to-do-with-her-parents-799827) folks. She doesn’t deny her parents influence she was merely discussing the insecurities its brought her.
Why read the article when the misrepresented clickbait title has all the information the uninformed public needs?
Ah great another misleading headline that twists what the actual quote is about
It’s a shame how many of you all didn’t bother reading the article and are flaming Willow for something she never said to behind with. Just took the click bait title at face value. She’s aware her parents have had an impact on her success, and she’s objectively a good musician. Those things are mutually exclusive and she herself has said that numerous times.
HATERS jumping on a tabloid train. shame.
To be successful is not to be famous. People just reaching to hate on that poor girl.
Lotta ppl gettin mad in these comments over nothing. The headline is a gross misrepresentation of what the quote is on top. I even read the article and she doesn’t say anything like that. She said “people think the ONLY reason I’m successful is because of my parents” which implies that yes, that’s a factor, but there are other reasons as well, but the title is making it out to seem like she’s saying her being apart of the smith family hasn’t helped her at all. We all know it’s helped, including her. But she has done a lot to prove herself and show she has her own noteworthy talents and I think that’s the point she’s trying to get across. It’s not like the typical nepo baby shit where they act like their success is all self made, and they had it just as hard as everyone else. She also says people calling her a nepo baby has only pushed her harder to prove that she can stand on her own and that she personally feels the nepo baby title doesn’t apply as much because as a person of color she’s still had to face obstacles to reach the point she has.
You guys are assholes. Her newest album is amazing and very well received. Your loss for being ignorant and negative.
Will Smith has a daughter?
Jada does. Will might want to get a paternity test just to confirm.
Save money and wait to see if she goes bald
tbh i can imagine that itd be frustrating that you could never outshine your parents, even for a moment. forever in their shadow. especially when your parents raised you to be a star and you still cant get past the mediocre level. if it were me, it would probably give some kind psychological complex. shes pretty young, its not that surprising/shocking that she said something like this.
It’s true that most people know who Willow is because of her parents. Her early hits when she was a kid like Whip My Hair would likely not have been made, let alone popularized. However, I wish the current discussions were actually surrounding the new music. The reason that we know who she is is irrelevant when the discussion surrounds how fucking incredible her new music is. From a music theory perspective, the recent releases have been wildly impressive. Highly recommend listening to the brand new album, specifically “b i g f e e l i n g s” if you like progressive music that makes you think about more than just lyrics. [Spotify link to “b i g f e e l i n g s”](https://open.spotify.com/track/0Xfkeu82ju4uni0CH2z9XN?si=UEadYdlwQFqcVU_XNsyKSg)
What does she do? Does she act, or play music, or model? Honestly, has she done anything at all?
I actually really like her song Symptom of Life. I don't know anything else by her except that ridiculous hair whipping song. But I just skipped through her new album and it sounds pretty cool, I must say.
The new album is actually great. Very jazzy, with the roots backing her
Oh really? The Roots are awesome!
And she managed to get them without any influence of her parents, just like any other under privileged black girl in America. The roots just travel around make records with them, regardless of who their parents are.
She does music, she can do these things with talent but it's not out of this world. She's only famous bc her dad is will Smith
You can be a successful musician without being famous. Like the drummer from Coldplay
I was today years old when I found out the name of Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion.
Or the dude who wrote every good pop song since the late 90’s. I think he’s Swedish?
Max Martin is a legend though!
Max Martin is a beast!
Will Champion sounds like someone you want on your team!
Definitely someone who will champion your cause.
Considering how many people don’t even know Will Smith has a daughter I wouldn’t even call her famous.
she's genuinely not a bad musician/singer, she just did a tiny desk concert. it's not overwhelmingly impressive but pretty cool she's just pursuing her own sound since she has the position to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmC2QQESN6E she's kinda the ideal nepo baby, keeps her head down until she's ready to release new music and actually works on her musical skills edit: not sure if i'm getting downvoted by bitter people who don't want to hear anything but hate, she's definitely only known bc of her parents was just saying she's not an awful singer, but y'all can stay jealous and mad all you want til you land a tiny desk of your own lmfao edit 2: now i'm not downvoted, life comes at you fast
But unlikely to have been “discovered” with that level of talent were it not for her already famous parents. That’s what it comes down to, either having connections or having great luck.
oh, 100%. like she may not even have landed the tiny desk just on her own pull, it might have been some influence from parents to get her ahead of other talented artists. but she's still the one performing for it, and following her own vision of what her music sounds like, regardless how people feel about her. she's actually putting her money/nepotism where her mouth is, is all i was saying
I'm not sure what that means though. Other musicians put in lots of effort, have more talents, but don't have famous parents and the best they will ever do is busk. She is only in front of people because of her parents. Take that away and double her talent... she is just a nobody that no one will ever hear of
you're "not sure what that means" because you are comparing a nepo baby to actual talent. i am comparing this nepo baby to other nepo babies that seem to think their parents are the start and finish of the qualifications they need to bring to the table. willow smith, while boosted by her parents' fame and influence, is not just coasting on it like many others clearly do in her position - she's putting in work to improve her art and try to find a unique musical voice, not just hiring production teams to write her some top 40 earworms. hence i said she's the "ideal nepo baby" - notice i didn't say "ideal musician". does that clarify? edit: or are you just confused because you missed where i said in my first comment "she's definitely only known bc of her parents" and you think you're making a point about her being a nepotism beneficiary? bc that's kinda what this whole thread is about, not sure why you need to repeat the one statement everyone in these comments agrees with i guess *i'm* confused what you think your comment is adding to this discussion
She is a crazy good musician, her new album is insanely good. The headline also completely misrepresents her actual quote lol
I think any basic Google search could answer your question. She has a song on Spotify with over 1 Billion streams, and a few others with well over 100 Million.. she may be oblivious to the fact her parents connections helped her but she is an objectively successful musician by any metric.
“I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I'm successful is because of my parents,” she told Allure in a cover story published Thursday. She added: “That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong." A basic Google search 'willow smith interview people think that' and the entire quote pops up. Doesn't sound like she's oblivious.
I have to admit, she’s a pretty legit musician. She writes her own songs and plays multiple instruments- between her and Jaden, she is definitely the talented one of the siblings. However you can find dozens of talented musicians of her calibre with movie star looks and song writing chops on TikTok and many of them will never have the success she has. Her parents absolutely got her foot thru the door.
They def helped her get through the door, and the piles of cash also helped her focus on developing musical talent rather than trying to survive. It’s not just the direct opportunities they give her, it’s the massive amount of padding and safety net for her to explore whatever she wants without a care in the world. Most people are too busy managing life to pursue creative passions.
She was a guest on late night last week and the cable guide just said "WILLOW" and I was like who tf is that. Then at some point somebody brings up Jaden and I'm like "ohhhhhhh you're one of the smith kids"
That’s literally the opposite of what she has said in so many interviews lol, just today I listened to an interview of hers on Apple Music where she attributed a lot of her success on the influence of her parents
Listen, I'm not arguing she hasn't benefitted from nepotism, but she says she's successful, not famous. There are a lot of successful people who aren't universally recognized, ya know?
The sons and daughters of the rich have the time, resources, and connections to succeed. How many kids who were born into poverty could be the next Mozart but will never realize it because when they turn 18 they are working in an Amazon warehouse? I will never care about rich kids or their art when they can’t even acknowledge the stepping stones they have while millions have to swim.
Quick, someone name one thing that she has done!
Could not pick her out of a lineup. No idea what she’s “famous” for, other than she’s the child of those two.
She makes good music.
She still could have failed miserably even with famous parents, but she would certainly not have been given the opportunities and connections without them. I think a more realistic perspective she could take is "I haven't fucked up the opportunities for success my parents created for me" Edit: typo
People are correct! At least not nearly as “successful” to whatever level she actually is.
Not to be confused with Will Smith the baseball player
There are plenty of people who are successful that you wouldn't recognize from a picture.
To be fair… I like her music in the last few years. But no doubt mommy and cuck-slap-daddy had a lot of power to propel her to where she’s at.
I didn't even think will smith had kids... I mean at least not his own.
Who?
Careful... they are violent.
If you're black and have smith in your name and are famous to any degree I will most likely assume you are related to Will Smith as that is how famous he is.
What success?
Fucking nepo baby refusing to call a spade a spade.
Hmmm...what's nepst?
... No one tell her what her name is.
But whos the real father though...because her mother has had more pricks than a dart board
Idk why nepotism celebrities always play that card. Yes, you are creative and have good songs, but you would not be as successful if both your parents were extremely successful actors.
🤣
If not for her parents, she'd be a barista at Intelligensia.
I heard one of her songs called Symptom of Life without knowing it was her, and she's talented for sure. Complex chords ala Fiona Apple, was surprised.
If she had said her continued success, I'd agree. Like obviously her connections and wealth gave her an amazing starting point. But staying relevant is a whole other struggle.
There is absolutely NO WAY she would be where she is right now if she wasn't the daugher of... Wich is fine, I guess, it is what it is, but at least be humble and accept it.
Read the article, not the headline.
Of course it has everything to do with her parents. Having said that, that new song of hers is genuinely original and awesome. How many pop songs have 4/7 time signatures? I think it's more interesting and enjoyable than 99% of current pop music.
She is also not denying that, it’s just a misleading headline
Nothing? Really? Is she really delusional enough to this k that if she were Willow Smith of the bumfuck nobody Smiths she would have had the same opportunities? Her parents' wealth, fame, and connections did not open any doors?
The title lied, she didn’t say they had nothing to do with it I read the article
I didnt even know willow smith existed until right now ngl
She looks like will in drag
She very musically talented and could easily be recognized without her parents . But since she is so wealthy and doesn't have to grind and doesn't. I know of only two songs she has made smash hits and one was when she was a child . I mean putting out music every 5 years all other artist would starve.
Gotta love all the Willow hate coming from Reddit because they believe a clickbait title accurately sums up what she actually said.
Whatever helps her sleep in her paid in full mansion at night.