Will Smith to release 1st album in 20 years, announces tour
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Will Smith attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
LOS ANGELES - Actor Will Smith is pivoting back to his music career, announcing that he's releasing his first album in twenty years.
What they're saying:
"It’s OFFICIAL!! My new album Based On A True Story drops March 28," Smith posted on his Instagram page. "TWO WEEKS!! Hit that presave. Been working on this project for a minute and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all."
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Smith also announced his upcoming tour in the United Kingdom and Europe, which will commence in June in Rabat, Morocco.
"All these years, I’ve NEVER done a headline tour and I can’t wait to see you guys!!" he added.
Will Smith's music career
Dig deeper:
Before Smith got his big break in television with the series "The Fresh Price of Bel-Air," he was already making ground in the music industry.
Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 25, 1968, to parents Caroline and Willard Carroll Smith.
In the late 1980s, he started rapping under the name "Fresh Prince." He along with DJ Jazzy Jeff turned out songs such as "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988) and "Summertime" (1991).
His first solo album, "Big Willie Style" came out in 1997. A couple of years later, he released "Willennium" and then came out with "Born to Reign" in 2002 and "Lost and Found" in 2005.
Will Smith's acting career
After his start on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" he pivoted into movie roles. In 1993, he was in the movie "Made in America" and then was in "Six Degrees of Separation" and "Bad Boys."
In 2006, Smith was in "The Pursuit of Happyness" with hisreal-life son, Jaden Smith who also played his son in the movie. The father son duo also acted together in "After Earth" in 2013.
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Smith was also in "I Am Legend," "Hancock," "Seven Pounds," "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," "Winter’s Tale," "Focus," "Concussion," "Suicide Squad," "Collateral Beauty," "Bright," "Aladdin," "Gemini Man" and "Bad Boys for Life."
Smith was in the 2021 movie, "King Richard," where his role of Richard Williams won him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Will Smith vs. Chris Rock: What led up to the Oscars slap and what happened after
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars after he made a joke about his wife's hair loss. Here's a look at the timeline of events before and after the altercation.
During the 2022 Academy Awards, Rock, who was hosting the show made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, which lead Smith to walk onto the stage, slap Rock and swear at him from his seat. He later issued a public apology.
The Source: FOX News contributed to this report. The information in this story primarily comes from Will Smith's own social media posts, including his Instagram.