You're listening to song exploder, where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. My name is She case your way song. Slaughter is sponsored by Dave's killer, bread, actually love Dave's killer bread, but they gave me a script to read so appeared his attention, others. We now have taste in the bread, aisle, Dave's killer, bread, that's right and organic bread, that's no longer a sedative for your taste, Dave's killer red, is on a mission to make the most of the loaf to rid the live Gmos, CE high fructose corn syrup and official ingredients and plant the seeds of good and all that they bake, killer, taste, killer, texture, always organic Dave's, killer, bread, bread amplified song, is brought to you by progressive. Are you thinking more about how to tighten up your budget these days? drivers who saved by switching you progressive, save for seven hundred dollars on average and customers can qualify

for an average of six discounts on they sign up a little off your rate. Each month goes a long way get a quote today. At progressive dot com progressive casualty, insurance, company and affiliates national, You will average insurance savings by new customers surveyed who saved with progressive between June twenty twenty and may twenty. Twenty one potential savings will vary. that's very and are not available in all states and situations. This episode, explicit language Willow Smith is a singer and songwriter from LOS Angeles she's, also of one of the most famous families in the world, from a very young age she followed the musical footsteps of her parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and released, first single, which was just ten years since then, she's the least for albums and was named one of Time magazine's one hundred most influential people in the world most recent she put out this song transparent. It was corporate with her long time, collaborator, Tyler Cole and it features travel.

Barker from Blink one. Eighty two on drugs, I talked to What about how our upbringing and our musical evolution from the early popstar days influence the way she made this song? I don't have any friends I mean I have. I have like two or three friends, when I was younger. I was very confused as to why people with the way they would act, would act different around me than they would. to run other people or just seeing the differences in how I was treated because of who my parents were alive People will just use you for what they want to use you for and just not ok

My name is Willow Smith. My family have always kind of wanted to know what the meaning of life is. So, for a very long time, we've tried to connect ourselves with monks, scholars and into sexuals who have vacated their life in the search of what the meaning of life is and so I was reading a book called the journey home by rod who not Swami and in that look. There's a quote. That says a say, Lee person is so pure that way You come in contact with them. They act, the spotless mirror and they reflect back to you, your inner beauty and your inner ugliness, and I thought that that was so beautiful. I just thought that I was such a perfect way of describing purity.

but right now, that's really not where I'm at, but I want to. But I want to be able to do that. So I wanted to take that. I yeah and put it in like a grungy angsty world, where I don't have all the answers the when I'm making a song. I with guitar My mom was in a metal band from the time I was like five to the time. I was like ten and it was just just in me throughout my whole life I had always felt like I until you do rock, but I didn't really know what my place was. You know in my popstar days,

there was. There was a lot of just very traditional pop training. learned it learned, learned learned. It then was like hate: it completely through all of that away, I'm going to do something else. Did that for a couple years learned a lot from that learned. A lot about my voice learned a lot about what comes naturally, and then now, I'm kind of in this middle ground of like okay, I'm going to take my years of not caring and just doing whatever and my years of intense intense training and I'm going to try to mess those two things. So it was really just an awakening of how I do music and

that time was actually the time I met Tyler Tyler's plain based on transparency, or he is my best friend and co producer. I think we started making music together like a year and a half into knowing each other. I dont really make music with a lot of people cause I'm like kind of shy and insecurity them, so it took some warming up to each other and then we actually didn't start really making music with each other until four or five years and to know each other. So our musical synergy grew overtime and I feel like we just become really create musical partners friend this song. I want to give it that admin,

fear is feeling that sometimes rock doesn't really have are specifically pop punk doesn't really have. I wanted to give it a spacey counter, rhythmic feeling with those done and the and then that higher tone with those DE nodes there were a lot of melodies, guitar, melodies and all of these guitars coming in and out would be little confusing if we're all in the same tone so each guitar needed to have its own world and

I feel like they all kind of gel really nicely together. The we went crazy with the guitars and then we were, okay. Now, let's move on to the vocals, fucking know, if it's a liar, it's a fact, joy, a little fake friends will sell your secrets for some cash smile on my face. Then put your cigarette on my bag. If you ever see images get to run and like the flash, that first line, I don't fucking know if it's a liar, it's a fact with Kai. born from being we are angry and sad and confused that you don't know what someone's intentions are. Thank God I was never in a situation where one of my friends ever sold pictures to TMZ, but. Definitely being betrayed. Like people telling my business to people who shouldn't be knowing

or just taking advantage of you, because you have resources, that's not something that friends do so that was always something happen. in in my life, so because of that fear of being taken advantage of and because of being taken advantage of so many times, I kind of had to close myself off and still kind of close myself off, because that's scary, but you don't want to get hurt. You don't want to put yourself in a position where people can take advantage of you. I know a boy just like you he's a snake. Just like you such a fake dislike you can see through as the

While I was reading that book, we were in the studio and were creating this track, and I just kind of got inspired in. I kind of just had this. Our have liked transparent soul like yes, in reality, I know that I, and to get to this state where I can be this transparent soul and I can see through you in a compassionate way, but I couldn't I am trying to be a transparent, though it had to be drafted, the verses took a little bit of time, because really trying to craft what I really wanted to say, cuz most times in my music, it's just very abstract,

but for this song I felt it was really important to pinpoint those lyrics in a very specific way, no ones brave enough to take the far I bought, as I thought why ads and like a Sarah, noble he likes to be wrong, but we need to actually be like okay, I messed up. This is what I did. a try and make up for it in some way. Let me try and give more love to this situation than I had in the past. I know girl, just like you just like you such a pain like you and everybody knows the Euro Travis Barker is a pop. God and deeds Ruhmer of blink. One eighty two: I see him as being a historical, figure in the rock world and

I sent him the song and he was like YO. I I want to come down to the studio and actually track it with you. I was shooting my pants cuz. I was like the fact that Travis is playing on my song right now is just insane and also What was really surprising was that he just listened to it once and went in, and did whole song, damn near

Perfectly the first time I don't know if it's a liar is a fact. I a little fake friends, will steal your secrets, personal cash smile on my face and put your sig out on my bag. If you ever see me just get the run like the flash that energy that he brings to the drums just put a little bit more on that pop punk vibe, the that was like exactly what I needed to strike the balance I was trying to create, and then the bridge comes in whole Tyler, was like okay, I just I bring it into trippy land, really really

quick. I want to give people sweeping harmonies and- and I think we did a really good job with that it's clear to is now or are we searching for something and in their striving their running away from himself, because our trying again these things in these Sperience is you know whatever it is to feel fulfilled, but it feels to me like there's some kind of search for empathy on your part yeah, because it's clear to me now why You're doing this, and- Even if someone does the most terrible thing You have to try to find that place of compassion and that place of

self love that can then help you move through that situation and deal with that person in the most compassionate and efficient way possible. my goal is to always just go a little bit further down that path of self exploration, just a little bit further down that path of under. Standing the absolute truth of all things. Obviously that sounds absolutely batch it, but that's what I believe in that's what and where my intention is every time I step into the studio you definitely don't want to marinate in your jealousy and your ego and so I think that this song was a really great way for me to purge those emotions

I'm trying to get there, you know I'm I'm still angry, I'm not a hundred percent there. I still have a lot of work to do, but but I'm searching and reaching For that reality, and now, here's transparent saw by willow in its entirety

The line taken by major, like you know, like everybody, to learn more visit, song exploded, dot net Slash

well we'll find links to buy or stream, transparent soul and you can watch the music video thanks D our space for sponsoring the shell, scarcely is an all in one platform that lets you build a beautiful website for your business or your art or your band. If you want to sell stuff, they've got e commerce templates. If you want to make a blog, maybe the buttons. So your audience can share your posts on social media and you can have multiple contributors, so you can work on your site together, check out squarespace dot com for pre trial when you re the launch, go to square space dot com. Slash explode her to save ten percent off your first purchase of a website or domain. Song exploded is sponsored by borrow a new kind of furniture company everything they may is designed to make life easier. The furniture It's easy to assemble the fabrics are stain resistant. The shelves easy to install and the delivery is free right now you can get

me five dollars off your first order at borrow dot com, slash song, exploiter; that's borough, be U R, R, o w dot com, slash song exploiter for seventy five dollars off borrowed dotcom, slash song it this episode was made by me with editing from Craig Ellie and Casey deal artwork by Carlos Lerman, music clearance by Catholic Smith and production assistance from Chloe Parker. Song exploiters of proud member of Radio Tokyo from Pierre acts and network of independent listener supported artist owned by cast you can learn more about our shows at Radio Tokyo, DOT Fm. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Rashid your way and you can follow the show at song. Exploder, you can to get a song explorer t shirt at song. Explode Not that slash sure I'm where case your way, thanks for listen.

radio do. There's a brain, you show joining Radio Tokyo called or products every week. Hist friends, Leah Wright, Rigueur and Kelly Carter. Jackson are going to dive deep into the cultural significance of the Oprah. Pre Show- and you might know, Kelly Carter Jackson because she's the host of another radio Toby a show this day an esoteric political history on products, the two friends are going to talk about. Why Oprah matters to culture and how Oprah made so much of the culture from diets to book club. To celebrity interviews to makeovers and our spinoffs spin offs. If you love Oprah, Or you just want to learn more about her. You have to check out Oprah that the study of the queen of talk wednesdays starting March, thirtieth! Listen at rates. Utopia, DOT, FM or wherever you listen to podcasts