Willow Smith is GLAMOUR’s September coverstar: ‘Shaving my head is the most radical thing I’ve done’

Though we keep silent on recent familial issues, Willow does not have a problem being candid. Publicising issues of mental health and her own experiences with anxiety is something important to her. Sharing advice for how fans and others can alleviate symptoms is something she’s passionate about, and she talks to me about her own mental health management.

“Sometimes [managing your mental health] is so overwhelming that you can’t really bring yourself to do much else besides reminding yourself of the things that really matter,” she says. “For me, I love a good mantra. Recently, my mantra has been, ‘I accept everything as it is, and I’m grateful for it.’ Repeating that over and over again; that’s been really helping me.”

Putting struggles into her lyrics is also therapeutic, she tells me, and being able to share struggles publicly in song is a priority of hers. “If you don’t talk about it, I don’t know how the healing’s going to start,” she says. “Even if it’s to yourself in the mirror, you know? I do that all the time.”

Unwillingly, my face instantly scrunches at the mental image of giving myself a motivational pep talk in the mirror. Willow instantly senses my hesitation, but she insists it is something we all should be trying. “Honestly, I’m not joking!” she says.

“I’ll literally talk to myself like I’m my best friend. And then be like, OK, what would my friend say to me right now? What would someone who really, really loves me say to me? It kind of feels unnatural because our own minds are so harsh sometimes.”

She runs me through other tactics that help; self-care and wellness, and even aromatherapy – fitting for an ambassador for a perfume. She gravitates to scents that soothe, and ground her on earth: “I’m always here for a nice, warm, floral and feminine scent, Alien Goddess gives me that and it slays,” she beams. “After it rains, I love the smell of rain on the concrete. I always wish I could wear it,” she says wistfully.