Jaden Smith recently opened up about his current emotional struggles with the release of his latest EP, “2024: A Case Study of the Long-Term Effects of Young Love.”
The new project premieres on October 18, 2024, marking his first major musical release in four years. The four-track EP explores the emotional consequences of young love, delving into themes of pain and the impact of relationships on his mental state.
In an interview with ‘Complex’, published the same day as his EP’s release, Smith shared how his breakup with singer Sab Zada left him feeling emotionally drained how.
Their separation was widely discussed, especially after photos of Smith vacationing with model Khleopatre in Ibiza emerged, sparking rumors of an affair. Khleopatre allegedly attacked Sab Zada - according to Smith’s ex – during an altercation.
Sab Zada articles X
Zada later shared details of the incident on social media, revealing that Khleopatre scratched her during a fight. The breakup and resulting tragedy only fueled the narrative that Smith was a “serial cheater,” a label fans were quick to attach to him, further complicating the EP’s release his latest.
Smith explains his new EP is “really a snapshot of my mental state right now, trying to be a human being and relate to people in this digital age we’re in.” people’s mental landscape is changing and people’s psychology is changing. And this is the current image in my mind of where I am in my life.”
The eldest son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith added: “I wanted to provide that snapshot for people who wanted to hear it and for people who were going through things and needed a distraction. Honestly, I just want to do it because I’m sad right now. And it’s that sadness that connects me to my community and my fans. I know there are people everywhere who are sad and if they feel like they are connect with the project. or with me, or with what I’m going through—or with the song, the melody, or the lyrics—that’s what it’s about, but it’s what it’s about created for a specific group of people.
Jaden Smith is sad.
So he dropped a new project called ‘2024: A Case Study of the Long-Term Effects of Young Love’
He hopes that one day psychologists will study it pic.twitter.com/x8LZB1Zc9o
– Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) October 18, 2024
“Because I’ve spent so much of my life trying to be normal. The fact that people thought I was normal for so long was a really big deal to me. And it upset me. after a while. I started to feel like people didn’t think so.” I don’t really understand or see myself and I don’t really try to show anyone that,” ‘The Karate Kid’ star said. “Sometimes it’s annoying to see people trying to do things “normal” when it’s not what they really want to do in their art and everything. It’s so frustrating. And then you see people falling into it and generations of people falling into it. So I actively try to be myself.”
Reactions to Smith’s vulnerability have been mixed online.
While some fans expressed their support and sympathy for his emotional journey, others criticized him more harshly. One social media user harshly commented: “Gaslighting 101: He’s a serial scammer.” Meanwhile, others defended Smith, seeing his work as an honest reflection of his personal development.
“I wanted to give a different perspective on hip-hop and music in general, like ‘Yeah, I’m crying. I’m sad.’ Everyone always has the upper hand, but what about the person on the other side? Every rap song is about having the upper hand, like, ‘Oh, I got it all.’ And it’s like, ‘What about the person you get that from?’ That’s me,” the 26-year-old said. “I’m someone else.”
— Originally published on Enstarz.
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