Willow Smith Releases Surprise Debut Album Ardipithecus

Teen visionary Willow Smith has been dropping allusions to December 11 on Twitter, and now it’s clear why. This morning, the singer releases her debut album Ardipithecus, available on U.S. iTunes here. She is credited as sole songwriter on 14 of the 15 tracks, and sole producer on 10 of them. Other credits include Willow’s older brother AcE (aka Trey Smith) on three tracks, and frequent collaborator JABS on two of them.

Speaking to The FADER via email, Willow explained the album’s title and concept as follows:

"Ardipithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth. I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because, while I was making these songs I was in such a transitional state. Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being the lyrics to the songs. Ardipithecus is my first album in my entire career and it makes me feel so blessed to be able to share my evolution with the LightEaters as I continue excavating my inner worlds…"

You can also stream album track "F Q-C #8" below. "I have an ongoing list of F Q-C songs," Willow said. "These songs were created through characters I have developed within my mind."