Willow Smith samples Radiohead on dark new song

By Jason Lipshutz

Billboard

Willow Smith is moving farther away from the vibrant energy of "Whip My Hair" with every new song: her latest offering, "Sugar And Spice," is a disturbing ballad that samples those artfully gloomy alt-rock kings, Radiohead.

"Inject my soul with darkness," the 12-year-old Willow rasps over a lurching rhythm snatched from Radiohead's "Codex," off of their 2011 disc "The King of Limbs." Later, Smith declares, "I tried to be sugar and spice, but I'm melancholy and can't do anything right." Later still, she sings, "Take a swing at me, I'll fight/To the death, my light is bright." The tween displays considerable vocal skill on "Sugar and Spice," which was posted online early on Tuesday, but the song's lyrics are too pointedly chilly to overlook.

Last summer, Willow offered a more intimate side of her songwriting on "I Am Me," with a music video that featured the singer walking around New York City with a shaved head. "Your validation is just not that important to me," she sang on the track, which followed the more uptempo tracks "21st Century Girl" and "Fireball," featuring Nicki Minaj. "Knees and Elbows" has been announced as the title of Willow's debut album, but a release date has yet to materialize.