Willow has always refused to make herself small, so why start now? On Friday, April 12, Willow dropped “Big Feelings” (stylized as “b i g f e e l i n g s”) and confirmed that her next album, Empathogen, which was previously billed as “a new musical compilation,” will be released on May 3.
“Big Feelings” arrived with a visualizer that finds Willow cackling and uninhibited while singing, “I have such big feelings / Can’t shut ’em down or let ’em out / I know I’m not fine / But yes, I say I’m fine.”
Questlove commemorated the release by posting a tribute to Willow on Instagram. To say his caption is lengthy would be selling it short. In part, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning icon wrote, “Shout out to @willowsmith for allowing herself to evolve into this artist. Doing all the things artists over the years have told me they wanted to do but were too afraid to because we been told odd time signatures don’t work or @gentlegiantband level prog rock song structure (blink and you missed it codas & bridges coming outta nowhere) might be too much for the ‘average listener’ to consume or to lyrically go to this vulnerable place that we might think will get us ridiculed.”
Willow reposted to her Instagram, and Questlove commented that he “rocked that jawn 30 mins in a row this morn,” so everybody should be excited for the full Empathogen project to drop.
Watch Willow’s “Big Feelings” visualizer above, and check out Willow’s Empathogen tracklist below.
1. “Home” Feat. Jon Batiste
2. “Ancient Girl”
3. “Symptom Of Life”
4. “The Fear Is Not Real”
5. “False Self”
6. “Pain For Fun” Feat. St. Vincent
7. “No Words 1 & 2”
8. “Down”
9. “Run!”
10. “Between I And She”
11. “‘I Know That Face.’”
12. “b i g f e e l i n g s”
Empathogen is out 5/3 via WILLOW/Three Six Zero/Gamma. Find more information here.