Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Smith made her acting debut in the 2007 film I Am Legend alongside her father, and later appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl with Abigail Breslin.

She embarked on a musical career with her 2010 single "Whip My Hair", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her fourth album, Lately I Feel Everything (2021), marked her first entry on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Transparent Soul", which received gold certification by the RIAA.

Later that year, she earned her second top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with her single "Meet Me at Our Spot", which she released as part of the duo The Anxiety with Tyler Cole.

Smith's fifth album, Coping Mechanism (2022) marked her final release with Roc Nation, after which she signed with gamma.

Smith and her siblings are youth ambassadors for Project Zambi, which, in conjunction with Hasbro,[6][7] provides assistance for Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.

The song has been widely criticized for its mature tone, the use of the word "fling", and the fake English accent she incorporates.

During the performance, she said: "Just for clarity, the word fling means something that's short lived...And this song is dedicated to all the kids around the world whose summer is never long enough.

The same day, she held a concert in New York City at The FADER Fort, where she performed select tracks from her new EP with SZA.

[23] About her debut album's title, Willow said "Ardipithecus Ramidus [sic] Sahelanthropus tchadensis is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth.

Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being the lyrics to the songs.

[25] She toured the album with Jhene Aiko alongside St. Beauty, Kodie Shane, and Kitty Cash through the end of 2017.

On April 27, 2021, Smith released "Transparent Soul" featuring Travis Barker, a pop-punk song that was her first foray into that genre.

[31][32] Smith released her fourth album Lately I Feel Everything on July 16, featuring guests artists including Tierra Whack and Avril Lavigne.

[38] In February 2022, a preview from Willow Smith's book Black Shield Maiden, co-written with Jess Hendel and set to be published through Penguin Random House, was shared on social media and criticized by users for depicting the Amazigh, an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa, as "thieves and slavers".

[40] Critics and users have condemned Smith for the use of harmful racist as well as Islamophobic stereotypes in her novel, and have labelled the book as being orientalist.

[39][40] In February 2022, Smith pulled out of Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever, The World Tour due to production limitations.

[51] She is a practicing Hindu and has been actively seen following ISKCON, which follows the doctrine of Gaudiya Vaishnavism with a tradition which believes Krishna as the Supreme Lord.