Willow , daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett , spoke with Alexis White , lead singer of Straight Line Stitch , about the pressures and prejudice against Black women in the rock and metal scene, which is still dominated by white artists.
In an interview with V Magazine , the singers shared their experiences and recounted facing the same challenges, mainly due to the racism that still exists in the genre. Inspired by White and her own mother, who led the nu metal band Wicked Wisdom in the 2000s, Willow revealed that she suffered bullying at school for listening to bands like Paramore and My Chemical Romance .
“Being a Black woman in the metal audience is very, very different with all the pressures that the music industry puts on you,” the singer said. “Now, there’s a new weight to it with the pressure of metal culture, the metal world, and just rock in general.”
“Yes, there’s a lot of ‘Hey, you’re Black, you shouldn’t be listening to this’,” agreed Alexis, who recounted numerous racist attacks from the audience during her 15 years as the vocalist for Straight Line Stitch. “I want people to know that music doesn’t need to have a color. I’ve always heard that ‘heavy metal belongs to white people.’ I hate that, why does it have to be about color?”
“Through the music I’m releasing now and the representation I can bring to the scene, I just hope that the Black girls who are listening to my music and this album see that there are more of us out there,” Willow added. “It’s a real thing, you’re not alone. You’re not the only Black girl who would like to wear her hair to the side and wear black eyeliner, you know?”
Willow began her musical career at just 10 years old, initially focusing on pop music. A decade after the success of "Whip My Hair," the young artist returns to rock and pop-punk sounds with the single "transparentsoul," a collaboration with drummer Travis Barker of blink-182 .
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