Will Smith is entering the “greatest artistic creative period” of his life.
The actor/rapper has been absent from the charts for two decades but he’s preparing for a big return as he released ‘Based on a True Story’ – his first new album since 2005’s ‘Lost and Found’ – on March 28 and Will has now declared the record’s launch marks a turning point in his career.
In a video on Instagram, he wrote: “The past couple of years, I’ve been doing a very deep exploration of who and what I truly am.
“The process of this album is really allowing myself to be more honest with myself than I ever have about who and what I actually am.
“This is about to be the greatest artistic creative period of my entire life.”
The album features the singles ‘First Love’, ‘Beautiful Scars’, ‘TANTRUM’, ‘Work of Art’ and ‘You Can Make It’ plus collaborations with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor and Jac Ross.
Will previously admitted he turned back to music again following the controversy of the 2022 Academy Awards when he stormed the stage and slapped host Chris Rock shortly before being awarded the Best Actor Oscar for his movie ‘King Richard’.
The rapper/actor told Billboard: “A well opened up inside of me, a well of understanding of art and pain … all kinds of things that I didn’t even know were in there.
“Then after the Oscars, that spiritual investigation continued and a whole world woke up inside that I didn’t even know was there.
“Dreams, visions; parts of my inner landscape that I had no awareness of prior to three years ago. And that opened up this bubbling to share what I’m seeing and experiencing, to explore.
“A big part of my music now is about that: the ecstatic kind of joy I remember from church when I was growing up; the ability to try to make this place more bearable.
“You know, I’ve always had a wild imagination; that’s part of who I am. But there’s something new happening with me that’s demanding I explore musically.”
In the interview, Will also hinted ‘Based on a True Story’ will be the first of a three-part album series, comparing it to “three seasons of a TV musical show”.