Hot on the heels of his first musical release in over a decade, Will Smith has announced that he has recorded approximately 30 new tracks and is planning a new album and world tour in 2016 with longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, according to an interview on Beats 1 Radio.
Believe it or not, this will be Smith’s first time doing a full-length tour. The star, who first hit airwaves in the late 1980s, never had time.
“Jeff and I actually never have done a full tour,” Smith told radio host Zane Lowe, “I was always on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I was always either making a movie, so we’ve never actually done a full tour. So I’m looking this summer to be the first time that we go out on a full world tour.”
Until his recent single-track collaboration with Colombian pop outfit Bomba Estero, Fiesta, hit the Internet late last week, Smith hadn’t released new recorded material since his 2005 album Lost and Found. But there’s more where that came from — the actor has reportedly been in the studio every day he isn’t filming, and looks to release a new studio album next year.
Smith says after 10 years out of music, he is still trying to find his voice again. This is good news for fans of hits like Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, who were slightly disappointed with the rapper’s latest track.
“I’m at the beginning of the process, you know, shaking the rust off, knocking the dust off,” said Smith about his new tracks.
As far as quality musical creations are concerned, the star says that his success often comes from failure — the reason he is is sitting on his 30 unreleased tracks, perhaps.
“You have to fail a lot,” said Smith, “you have to fail early. You have to fail often. And you have to fail forward. So I’m trying to get comfortable getting back to failing.”
Failure or not, at this point any news of a Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff reunion is excellent, especially if they do end up taking that show on an extended road trip together; If fans have to stomach a few less-than-stellar new tracks before they can hear the pair perform Miami in the flesh, so be it.
