My Culture Hits: Willow Smith On What She’s Reading, Watching & Listening To Now

In Service95 Book Club’s series My Culture Hits, we chat to authors to find out what they’re reading, watching and seeing. This month, we sit down with musician, actor and now novelist, Willow Smith. Her debut novel Black Shield Maiden, co-written with Jess Hendel, follows Ghanaian warrior Yafeu, as she is enslaved and taken to the Nordic kingdoms of Scandinavia. There, she must learn to navigate a new world and take on the challenge of becoming a shield maiden. Here are Smith’s top cultural picks…

A Creative I’m Loving… [The Cree and Salish musician] Fawn Wood. I have a special place in my heart and a deep appreciation for Native American chants; I would love to see Indigenous music celebrated more widely.  

The Album I Currently On Repeat… The album Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors is definitely a vibe. [The singer] David Longstreth is an absolute visionary and one of the best musicians of our generation. Every musician could learn from him.  

The Trend I Want To Embrace… Minimalism [when it comes to makeup]. I love a good [makeup] moment, and there is certainly a time and place, but embracing clean skin is just less work and arguably better for your skin health over time. 

The Last Book I Couldn’t Put Down… The Mysticism of Sound and Music: The Sufi Teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Khan, a Sufi mystic, is extremely knowledgeable about the ancient benefits and significance of sound, and I’m just really inspired by him.  

The Collaboration I Would Most Like To See… [Is between musician and designer] Tyler The Creator and [songwriter] Thom Yorke. They are extremely different, which makes me think their collaboration could be revolutionary.  

The Event I Can’t Wait For… Ragnarok [the end of the world in Norse mythology]… LOL, jk. 

Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel is out now