Willow Smith Says She Was ‘Really Overwhelmed’ as a Child Star and Didn’t Want to Appear ‘Ungrateful’

At 11 years old, the musician shaved her head as a protest to get out of touring with Justin Bieber.

Willow Smith silenced “nepo baby” criticisms earlier this year, but as a child star, the musician struggled with public perception around her career.

The 23-year-old spoke to Dazed as cover star of ‘The Impossible Issue,’ where she revisited her young stardom with her debut single “Whip My Hair.” The musician shaved her head during a breakdown at 11 years old, which her father, actor Will Smith, wrote about in his 2021 memoir, Will. At the time, Willow wanted out of being the opener for Justin Bieber during the My World Tour.

In the aftermath of shaving her head, Willow told Dazed that she felt a “dark night of the soul” and loss of herself mentally.

“I think I was just really overwhelmed, and I had so many moments where I didn’t feel understood,” she said. “At the time, I didn’t know how to express what I was going through, because people were like, ‘Oh, you’re a brat,’ or ‘You’re being ungrateful.’ I never wanted anyone to think I was ungrateful. I never wanted anyone to think that I didn’t love my life. And so that’s why I kept it all inside. But as we know, when you keep things inside, they come out at some point.”