WILLOW, daughter of Will Smith, has dropped her sixth studio album Empathogen this past Friday. Among the 12 tracks on the record is the sulky alternative song “Pain For Fun” featuring indie guitar player St. Vincent.
Pain For Fun explores the deep roots of her childhood difficulties and the familiarity of pain in her life. She explores the idea of reliving her “pain for fun” and mixed emotions that come with revisiting her past.
She sings “I’m so close to tears/I’m biting holding back/I’m so happy, I could break down and cry/”
The video features WILLOW in an elegant black dress and has her centered in a wall-to-wall blue room with an orange carpet. She is smoking a cigarette and letting the smoke fill the room creating a well-crafted cinematic image. The color contrast choices make her an eye-catching center of the video and create an aesthetic ambience and vibe.
WILLOW talked to Vogue Australia about her long love and admiration for St. Vincent. She recalls being a fan since her early adolescent and reflects on the collaboration as a moment she will never forget.
“It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, seeing her creating at such a high level, but also knowing the [guitarist’s] gear—knowing how to work a patchbay, all this technical shit, on top of being so creatively tapped in. I’ll never forget it.” WILLOW told Vogue
The collaboration has brought attention to both the new WILLOW album and St. Vincent’s new album All Born Screaming which released this part April.
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