Willow Smith attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California© Getty Images

Willow Smith rules the stage in a sports bra and mini skirt – and check out her waist-length hair

Will Smith's daughter joined a star-studded lineup at the Japanese music festival

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
August 20, 2023

Japan was abuzz on the nights of August 19 and 20 as the annual Summer Sonic Festival took over, playing host to a star-studded lineup of performers and headliners.

One of them was Willow Smith, who wowed audiences over the unique two-night setup of the festival. On the first night, the slated lineup of artists perform in both Chiba (near Tokyo) and Osaka simultaneously, and then switch the following night.

The 22-year-old rising punk-pop and punk-rock star was captured by several enthralled fans over her two sets, dressed in all-black to fit the vibe of her ever-growing discography.

© Instagram

Willow posed backstage at the Summer Sonic Festival with rapper Chanmina

Willow was seen on stage in a black midriff-baring top with a mini-skirt, bike shorts underneath, and lace-up black combat boots.

After the show, she was seen posing backstage with South Korean-Japanese rapper Chanmina, ditching her top for a sports bra and allowing her braids to fall all the way down to her waist.

MORE: Will Smith makes honest confession about daughter Willow's 'mutiny' after he pushed child stardom

Other performers at the festival included Kendrick Lamar, Niall Horan, NewJeans, Liam Gallagher, Evanescence, and many more.

© Getty Images

The singer was one of several headliners at the star-studded affair

The festival scene has proved to be Willow's stomping ground recently, having brought her styles and longer braids to several recent headline shows.

MORE: Willow Smith is the ultimate style icon in black bikini during dreamy vacation

She most recently impressed at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco and Day In Day Out Festival in Seattle, donning varying styles of comfy yet performance ready attire while letting her braids fly about.

WATCH: Willow Smith tends to brand new hairdo in candid moment

In a recent interview with Vogue after being named the face of Mugler's latest alien-themed fragrance, the "Whip My Hair" singer opened up about embracing her longer locks recently.

MORE: Willow Smith flashes transformative hairdo in a bikini top in candid moment caught on camera

She stated: "The music that I make has a huge influence on how I want to present myself," while admitting that her style and music were in a bit of a transitional phase currently. "I'm really studying the greats like Alice Coltrane and Charlie Parker and diving into their vibes. In general, I'm just tapping into what feels true to me right now."

She specifically referenced Questlove's Summer of Soul documentary, about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, as an influence on her present look. "The 'fros and colorful vibes are big on my mood board right now."

MORE: Willow Smith debuts shocking new piercing – see her unrecognizable new look

As for new material? Willow promised some new material in the works, which would serve as the follow-up to last October's Coping Mechanism, her fifth studio album in her 13-year long career. 

© Instagram

Willow cited a recent trip to the mountains for helping inspire her new material

"It's been a beautiful process and I never thought I could fall in love with music more than I already was," she explained, citing a recent retreat to the mountains as a "form of connecting to myself and ancestral self-healing for me," and the inspiration she needed to write and record.

"I'm really excited to share new songs and continue on this journey of deeply listening to my intuition and inspiring others to do the same."

Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox. 

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Celebrity Style

See more