Key Takeaways
- Willow Smith drops her ninth studio album, The Thread, previewed at an intimate Brooklyn listening party with a full playback and Q&A ahead of its July 24 release.
- Arriving amid a high-fashion run that includes a new Dior Addict campaign with Jisoo and Anya Taylor-Joy plus past work with Chanel, Acne Studios, and more, the project underscores that her main focus remains pushing her music forward.
- Reuniting with producer Chris Greatti and collaborators like guitarist Mei Semones, Willow leans into jazz-, rock-, and soul-infused experimentation while framing The Thread as a “devotional” album, saying she finally feels she’s making music she truly loves and is “singing to the holy mystery and giving praise” on every track.
Willow Smith is entering a new chapter. The singer-songwriter is preparing to release The Thread, her eighth solo studio album, after giving fans an early preview at a listening party presented by Free People at Public Records in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood. The intimate event featured a full playback of the record and a Q&A with Willow ahead of the album's July 24 release.
The album arrives during one of the busiest stretches of Willow's career. Ahead of The Thread’s release, she was unveiled as one of the faces of Dior Beauty's latest Dior Addict campaign alongside Jisoo and Anya Taylor-Joy.
The luxury partnership added to an already impressive list of collaborations with brands including Chanel, Acne Studios, Moncler, Marc Jacobs, Maison Margiela, Stuart Weitzman, and Onitsuka Tiger.
Still, The Thread makes it clear where her priorities lie. The record builds on the adventurous direction she embraced with 2024's Empathogen and February's Petal Rock Black, blending jazz, rock, soul, and intricate vocal arrangements into a sound that's become uniquely her own.
Speaking with The New York Times, Willow said she finally feels she's becoming the artist she's been working toward. "I feel like I'm just now getting to the point to where I actually really like and love the music that I'm creating," she said. "Before, I just felt like I was kind of stumbling in the dark... But now I've got a candle."
She credited years of practicing her voice and guitar for giving her the confidence to keep pushing creatively.
The album also reunites Willow with producer Chris Greatti, who previously collaborated with her on Coping Mechanism and Empathogen. Greatti told The New York Times the pair creates "without limitations," allowing unusual time signatures and unexpected arrangements to develop naturally.
Brooklyn guitarist Mei Semones, who appears on "Crush on Eternity," echoed that sentiment, describing Willow as "really humble" and saying she is "really in it for the music" and constantly looking to improve her craft.
Spiritually, The Thread marks another evolution. Willow said she approached the project with a single goal: "I went into this album wanting the official genre to be 'devotional.' Each and every song, I'm singing to the holy mystery and giving praise."
