Will Smith Readies New Era, Announces Fifth Album
Will Smith will enter a new ‘Willennium’ on his first album in twenty years.
“Based on a True Story,” Smith's fifth album will arrive on March 28, roughly two decades following his fourth album, “Lost and Found.” Over 14 tracks, the LP will host collaborations with Big Sean, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Russ, Teyana Taylor, Smith’s youngest son, Jaden, and more.
Previous singles from the upcoming LP include the Big Sean-assisted “Beautiful Scars,” “Work of Art,” featuring Russ and Jaden, and “You Can Make It,” featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, which Smith performed at the 2024 BET Awards.
In an interview with Billboard, Smith revealed that he’s recorded 60 songs and teased two follow-up LPs, calling the project “three seasons of a TV musical show.”
“It was about just letting whatever come out in a really wild, colorful and varied way. What I decided to do is separate the material into seasons like a television show,” he told the publication. “So I'm releasing three seasons of this television musical show and calling the 10 tracks for each season "episodes" instead of songs.”
With the first ‘season’ titled “Rave In the Wasteland,” the second will be titled “The Gift of Madness,” in dedication to the late Quincy Jones, due in the summer. The final project, currently untitled, will arrive before the end of 2025. While we’re anticipating performances from Smith, the Academy Award winner will headline France’s 2025 Positiv Festival on July 31.