Willow Smith's Real Name: Willow Camille Reign Smith
Willow Smith → Willow Camille Reign Smith
Quick answer: Willow Smith, who records as WILLOW, was born Willow Camille Reign Smith on October 31, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, according to Biography.com. Library of Congress records, including publisher cataloging data, give the same full name and birth date. She is the daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Real name and early life
Biography.com says she grew up in the public eye as the child of two Hollywood stars. She has an older brother, Jaden Smith, and an older half-brother, Trey Smith. AllMusic says that, like her brothers, she started out as an actor.
Her first film role was alongside her father in I Am Legend (2007). She then appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) and joined her mother in voicing a character in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008). AllMusic says she also appeared on True Jackson, VP as a younger version of the star, Keke Palmer.
Career highlights
In 2010 she signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Her first single, "Whip My Hair," came out when she was nine, and Biography.com says it went platinum and reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard placed her at No. 7 on its 2010 list of the top stars under 21. Biography.com says the pressure of fame led her to step back from performing, and in 2012 she shaved her head on tour as a protest.
AllMusic says her self-produced debut album, Ardipithecus (2015), showed a more alternative side; she produced ten of its 11 tracks. The 1st followed in 2017 and Willow in 2019. In 2020 she and partner Tyler Cole released The Anxiety and staged a 24-hour performance piece at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Her 2021 album Lately I Feel Everything turned to pop-punk, with the single "Transparent Soul" featuring Travis Barker and a guest spot from Avril Lavigne. Biography.com quotes her hope that she can help "more young women of color know they can do this." AllMusic lists later albums including COPINGMECHANISM, Empathogen (2024), and two 2026 releases, petal rock black and The Thread.
She also co-hosted Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch with her mother and grandmother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. Biography.com says the show won a Daytime Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Informative Talk Show.
Name notes for searchers
WILLOW, styled in capital letters, is her one-word music name; Library of Congress records list her both as Smith, Willow, 2000- and as Willow, 2000-. Camille and Reign are her middle names, and Smith is her father's surname. Her mother is listed in some sources as Jada Pinkett and in others as Jada Pinkett Smith.
FAQ
What is Willow Smith's full name?
Willow Camille Reign Smith.
When and where was she born?
October 31, 2000, in Los Angeles.
Who are her parents?
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
What was her first hit?
"Whip My Hair" (2010), released when she was nine.