Willow Smith is an underrated, genre-bending darling of alt-music. We picked 13 of her must-listen songs.

"Meet Me At Our Spot" with Tyler Cole and The Anxiety, released in 2021, was beloved by TikTok.

Willow Smith, who performs mononymously as Willow, and Tyler Cole, who are rumored to be dating in real life — yes, like an indie rom-com come to life — began their musical project, The Anxiety, to advocate for mental-health awareness. They hope to normalize mental health issues by sharing their experiences and the ways they cope.

Though the song wasn't very popular upon first release in 2020, "Meet Me At Our Spot" is a moody and fun track that TikTok eventually grabbed a hold of — it eventually went viral on the app, and was declared the summer anthem of 2021.

The alternative-rock track oscillates between ruminating on anxiety and finding solace in togetherness. Young and in distress, they recognize that "when I'm older, I'll be so much stronger … I'll be moving onward." But for now, the vocalists find relief in one another with a single call to action: "Meet me at our spot."

It's a sweet and intimate concept packaged in an upbeat song that's easy to "vibe" to. The song speaks to a generation that's more self-aware about mental health than ever before.

"Meet Me At Our Spot" reached No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Smith's highest-charting entry since "Whip My Hair" in 2010. It was also her second top-40 hit on Billboard, and it lasted 26 weeks on the US charts.

Listen to "Meet Me At Our Spot" here.

"Coping Mechanism" is the titular song of her newest studio album released in 2022.

Sometimes, too much introspection can be nauseating. Enough to make you "so, so sick" of yourself. "Coping Mechanism," the titular song on her newest album, is the perfect soundtrack for your early 20s. It can be a deeply unstable time ripe with reflection and change, and the lyrics reflect this.

As she blossoms further into self-awareness, Smith also finds herself at odds with the experiences that have come her way. This track is about her simultaneous situational awareness and idealism. She's Gen Z through and through.

"Coping Mechanism" is brimming with youthful angst. It's a pensive piece about the things we tell ourselves to deal with difficult situations and the people in our lives. While grappling with these difficulties, she internalizes the anger and shame of giving more effort than her partner, and finds herself "hating myself for trying."

This song is ultimately a "coping mechanism" to guide her and her listeners forward.

Listen to "Coping Mechanism" here.

"Wait a Minute!" was released in 2015, but gained immense popularity in 2019 thanks to TikTok.

"Wait a Minute!" came out during winter 2015, in Smith's early days of playing around with neo-funk, experimental pop, and R&B sounds. The song wasn't very popular upon release, but it gained popularity in 2019 after it went viral on TikTok, and it is now one of her most recognizable and beloved tracks.

Yes, another sleeper hit for Smith.

It's deeply romantic and relatable. Begging your lover and convincing them that love is worth it? Anyone can feel as though they've left their "consciousness in the sixth dimension" just to be with someone.

But, there's also a lot of confusion that can make these big feelings very difficult to grapple with, which she admits to. She details the downfalls of relationships, "Some things don't work/Some things are bound to be/Some things, they hurt/And they tear apart me" recognizing, even at a mere 15 years old, the inevitability of heartbreak.

Ultimately, the listener gets so much insight here into her thoughtful views on relationships, delivered with a sophisticated, funky beat and her ever-captivating voice.

Listen to "Wait a Minute!" here.

"Transparent Soul" featuring Travis Barker was released as the lead single of Smith's fourth studio album, "Lately I Feel Everything."

Who doesn't love putting a "snake" on blast? This pop-punk track is a hit in the same way "Misery Business" by Paramore and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At the Disco are. They transcend the limits of their genre by singing about the most relatable thought: Some people are simply the worst. So much so that we want to yell about it over and over.

To listen to this song correctly, you need an imaginary mic held up to your face, an air-guitar gripped tightly, and you must be headbanging while this song is blasting through your car speakers. It's a necessity. It's essential. You should try it.

After a short hiatus from music, "Transparent Soul" propelled Smith back onto the main-stage of music. The track was released in April 2021 as the lead single from Smith's fourth solo studio album, "Lately I Feel Everything."

"Transparent Soul" reached No. 9 on US Rock Airplay chart, No. 10 Hot Rock & Alt. Songs chart, and received a platinum certification in the US. 

Listen to "Transparent Soul" here.

"Female Energy, Part 2" was released in 2019, and it showcases Smith's spiritual side.

This dreamy track is a mature continuation of her previous song "Female Energy," which was first released in 2014 on SoundCloud when she was a mere 14 years old. A lot has changed since then, and it shows in the clean and sophisticated lyricism of the newer song and her developed vocals.

From the gentle strumming and soft echoes, to the sleepy vocals as she muses about the contradictions of growing older and wiser, it's easy to be swept away by the crooning harmonies to consider your own "naked truths." She begs someone to "tell me, how am I to feel" when ultimately she knows what she "must do." At 19, she was more introspective than people twice her age.

"Female Energy, Part 2" is a great showcase of Smith's spiritual side as well as her musical growth. As a songwriter, she continues to bare her vulnerability, sharing her ideas of what it means to cherish our connections and still grow independently.

Listen to "Female Energy, Part 2" here.

"9," featuring SZA, was released in 2014. It's a musical match made in heaven.

Smith and SZA are a match made in musical heaven. Here we have two powerhouses of neo-soul coming together, combining their angelic voices and tender lyrics.

The song opens with airy synths typical of the neo-R&B vibes of SZA's work — but there's more. From the addictive percussion, to the cascading melodies, to the silky vocals, this is a beautiful track that's hard to skip.

"9" recognizes that, sometimes, romantic partners disappoint and fail to keep up. It's a brooding plea for an unsustainable relationship to last a little longer, despite knowing that sometimes a relationship breaks, no matter how long you wait it out.

So much about this song makes it a delicious listen, which is why we're still waiting for this dynamic duo to release another project together. Fingers crossed!

Listen to "9" here.

"Grow" featuring Avril Lavigne, released in 2021, is an ode to personal development, and a gift to longtime fans of Lavigne.

Smith gave those of us who grew up listening to Avril Lavigne an incredible throwback with "Grow."

An exciting and fun expression of self-development, "Grow" features a wonderful verse from the beloved 2000s pop-punk icon. Most of us who grew up on Lavigne are now striving hard for this very thing: to "grow, grow, grow."

Luckily, there's this anthem that features two generations of pop-punk, rallying us on with a sunshine-filled declaration of growth. The cherry on top? That's Travis Barker on the drums, making this song a trifecta of pop-punk legends.

In her usual manner, Smith packages yet another thoughtful take on growing up and learning to love yourself in the form of a banger. She reminds herself that even after "putting work in," she still has "room to grow." Don't we all?

Listen to "Grow" here.

"Time Machine" is a dreamy, nostalgic track that Smith created at only 19 years old.

Next, you can slow it down with a dreamy indie track.

Smith has a thing for bygone eras and it shows, as "Time Machine" is synthy and melodic with both vintage psychedelic and pop influences. Listening to it feels like pondering about "what could have been."

As Smith muses about traveling to 1983 to hang out with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kurt Cobain, dreaming of a different time, a guitar's reverberation is layered with a simple drum.

In "Time Machine," she creates a space for those who feel they were born in the wrong era, a sentiment many young people have. She also cites that "everyone is disconnected these days," believing that she might be happier if everyone weren't always "looking at their phone." In the chorus, she begs "Please don't wait on me," reaffirming that she's fed up with being rushed through life, and more than happy to be left to her own devices.

Listen to "Time Machine" here.

 

"Lipstick," released in 2019, is a powerful track that showcases Smith's vocals.

"Lipstick" begins with a warped, contemplative melody, accompanied by an aggressively distorted guitar as Smith belts out her first verse, a fitting way to set the mood.

Despite the song's title, the message is not related to makeup. When you get to the two pre-choruses, it becomes especially clear that, like many of her songs, she's grappling with her own mental health.

In this one, she's "feeling far away, no space, no time" and seems to be describing her tendency to dissociate. We're told that she "never wanted to just suffer inside/Hurt don't heal when I'm always tryna hide." Like many talented songwriters before her, she's sharing her suffering to try and find connection or understanding with others.

As the instrumentals are relatively uncomplicated, the song really allows Smith's vocals to stand out. Her voice soars over the track as she cries out about her suffering.

In the end, she finds a glimmer of hope, credited to someone she doesn't name.

Listen to "Lipstick" here.

"Maybe It's My Fault" is the opening song of her newest studio album, released in 2022.

It takes a lot to admit you're wrong, let alone admit it to the world on the opening song of your newest album.

The intro and chord progression is reminiscent of The Kooks, in that they're bright and playful, but when bookended by Smith's pained, distorted voice, the song feels less beachy and more gut-wrenching. She brings her vulnerability to the forefront once again to create something intimate and captivating.

"Maybe It's My Fault" features a lot of playful contrasts. She showcases her internal conflict between the smooth runs and aggressive vocals, and between the both bright and distorted instrumentals, culminating in a final heavier rock outro.

It's no secret that she admires and draws inspiration from Deftones and her own mother, Jada Pinkett Smith. Some have noticed that her new track is even metal-core, at times. Vulnerability doesn't always have to be soft or dainty.

The song details the conflicts one can run into in a relationship, and it comes across as a song about miscommunications and crossed boundaries. As the song unravels, the intense sense of urgency only increases as we follow along with Smith's emotional turmoil.

Listen to "Maybe It's My Fault" here.

"Naïve" is an underrated track from her fourth album, "Lately I Feel Everything." It's tender and worth a listen.

"Naïve" is an outcry of vulnerability and tenderness. It's a bid for affection and honesty when, at times, the singer doesn't even trust her own instincts.

Despite being an easy sing-along, it's not light at all. The song painstakingly details the sometimes bittersweet reality of romance. In the ballad's opening verse, you're placed in the middle of a busy moment followed by a hard confrontation: "You hate and then you love, but what's the ratio?/Tell me, are you ready or you not?"

These questions perfectly reflect the ambiguity of modern dating. She finds herself with someone who is oppositional and unclear about their intentions, and is begging for clarification.

Even so, she still has a sweet spot for this person, and in the end, she "just wanna see [them] bloom." The earnestness in this track, of needing reassurance and honesty, is something many people can relate to.

As Smith belts out her confession, that she just wants them to "tell [her] when she's being naïve," there's a dissonance with her voice and the instrumentals, possibly signaling her own confusion.

Listen to "Naïve" here.

"Curious/Furious," coming from her fifth album, is an apt title for a song full of contrast, as she reminds us that life isn't black and white.

With this third single released from her new album, "Coping Mechanisms," Smith told Billboard that she "wanted to go for rock," which to her "is a deep outcry — maybe about pain, maybe about joy." She has received praise for her newest music as she continues to come into her own and blossom into her unique sound. 

She seamlessly switches between a relaxed and casual voice to heavy and raspy vocals. We hear many of these moments throughout the song lyrically, melodically, and stylistically, from softness to anger and from gentle to heavy sounds. This track is in your face, and full of indignation.

What a fitting title — she is definitely both curious and furious in this song.

Smith hails that "life doesn't choose either side/Win or lose, right or wrong/It's a battle that's all in your mind/You better open wide." Viewing life through binaries can be extremely limiting, and she reminds us that sometimes things aren't so black and white. Life doesn't choose either side, and it's up to us to "open" our minds and explore the grayness in our lives.

Listen to "Curious/Furious" here.

"Whip My Hair" sailed Smith into stardom at 10 years old, but she's ready to bid that part of her life farewell.

And here we have a special nostalgic shout-out to Smith's famous song that shot her into the music-sphere! With her debut, Smith was No. 11 on US charts for 18 weeks. She was a star at a mere 10 years old.

"Whip My Hair" took the world by storm, contested and adored by listeners everywhere. It embodied the sound of the time, paying homage to Rihanna, Ciara, Keri Hilson, and Lil Mama. The song was radio, club, and even recess-friendly. MTV News and LA Times called it a "kid-friendly, club banger" with "serious punch."

Ultimately, if you choose to listen, remember that this song propelled Smith into musical infamy at 10 years old. It helps us contextualize and truly appreciate her metamorphosis as a young musician. Though she has outgrown this phase of her life, which she marked by shaving her head during a performance of "Whip My Hair," many will remember her roots and the early days of her star-power.

Listen to "Whip My Hair" here.