Preceded by many things, a family name, a once-upon-a-time youth, and a brilliant fashion cred, we figure out why music is the lane that Jaden Smith shines the most.
You may know him best as the kick-ass protagonist from Karate Kid or the wide-eyed child in The Pursuit of Happyness where he starred alongside his father (Will Smith, by the way), but Jaden paved his own path, setting himself apart from the glitzy trappings of Hollywood.
One of the youngest rising artists in this generation—musician, actor, environmentalist, as well as the first ever male model for Louis Vuitton’s womenswear line, and all around style-star proved he’s truly an icon on the rise as he set the stage on fire at XYLO in his concert produced by CC:Concepts last night, with smash songs from his albums SYRE & ERYS.
Below, we list down reasons why everyone should take his music (no matter how crazy they call it) very seriously.
1. His First Hit ‘Never Say Never’ With Justin Bieber Was Certified 5x Platinum
As part of the promotions for his first solo movie, Karate Kid, Jaden made the track with the Canadian singer and the song blew up, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100–all at just 12 years old!
2. He Toured With Fall Out Boy
Back in 2017, the legendary rock band announced that Jaden would be opening all their arena tours. “Seeing them perform like ‘wow, this is what real rockstars look like onstage.’ Being on tour with them was a dream come true. To open up for them, it just gave me so much perspective,” he reveals in a past interview.
3. He’s Been Making Songs with Kid Cudi Since He Was 12
Considering Cudi as one of his mentors and musical influences, the duo’s been making hits since Jaden was 12. They first collaborated 3 years ago with ‘Kitchen’ and recently, ‘On My Own’ for SYRE.
4. He released his debut mixtape, ‘The Cool Cafe’ when he was 14
Aside from his philosophical tweets and wearing a batman suit for Kim and Kanye’s wedding, Jaden has been making headlines for the music he kept on teasing on social media, finally dropping his EP back in 2012.
5. It’s a Smith Family Thing
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We all know his father started his career with rapping before he became Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. “He started in music and transitioned to movies. I started with movies then transitioned into making music—I look at him and use it as a blueprint of how good of a person he is,” he shares. Jaden is also set to go on tour with his sister Willow this year.
6. The SYRE tour at XYLO
Before he embarks on his American tour, Jaden made a quick stop in Asia, bringing his electrifying stage presence and high-powered sense of style as he lit up XYLO at The Palace last night. His 9-track setlist may have been short, but being in that moment, especially hearing his songs such as ICON, GOKU, and GHOST just made us more eager to look forward to what the rapper has in store for us along with countless boundaries he’s about to break in years to come. One thing’s for sure, Jaden Smith is a serious act in music, and it’s time the rest of the world gets with it.
Featured image from Cc:Concepts
