“Everything that I do, I want it to be a mixture of activism and artistry.” – Willow Smith, V Magazine interview with Alexis White
Willow Smith has been killing the magazine game! Last week she creative directed 3 of her own Alt Press covers for their June 2021 issue. Check them out below.
Now, Willow is on the cover of V Magazine‘s June digital issue. The fashion in this issue is very punk rock which is exactly the topic of conversation she’s having with Alexis White, the lead singer in heavy metal band, Straight Line Stitch. In the V Magazine interview, White and Smith talk about when they knew they wanted be musicians and the artists that inspired them to get into rock music. Willow revealed that besides her mother, Alexis White was actually her inspiration, “Honestly, that was how I felt when my mom introduced me to Straight Line Stitch. But it’s different when you’re a teenager, you don’t really want a fangirl for your mom, you know? So when I saw you, it was like, “Whoa, this is a thing!” This isn’t just a phenomenon that I experienced in my life, more Black women are into this. That’s why I wanted us to do this interview because, I feel it was just [such an important] part of my life in seeing that when I did.”
This heart warming moment continues the necessary conversation on how difficult it is to be a Black woman in rock music and the importance of having representation for Black women who aspire to be in the genre. Smith tells White, “Just through the music that I’m putting out right now and the representation that I can bring to the mix, I just hope that the Black girls who are listening to my music and listening to this album see that there’s more of us out there. It’s a real thing, you’re not alone. You’re not the only Black girl who wishes she could flip her hair to the side, and wear black eyeliner, you know what I mean?”. Yes, we know what you mean! So far, Willow has only released one single from her upcoming album and she’s already changing the game and making a bigger space for other young Black rockstars.
Willow is wearing Valentino and Cartier jewelry styled by Nicola Formichetti, makeup by Raoul Alejandre, hair styled by Vernon Francois, and photographed by Domen & Van De Velde.
