Celebrity siblings Jaden and Willow Smith offer a fascinating case study in the nature/nurture debate.
The children of Will Smith – last year named the world's most bankable actor by Forbes, and star of 17 movies that have grossed more than US $100 million (Dh3.67 million) – Jaden, 17, and Willow, 14, were never going to lead a quiet life.
The teenagers have chosen to follow firmly in their parents’ footsteps – mum Jada Pinkett Smith is an actress and heavy-metal singer – and forge twin careers in Hollywood and the music business.
Would Jaden and Willow (or older half-brother Trey, 22) be where they are today without parental support and influence? Absolutely not. Yet any talent they claim – and they definitely do – can arguably be traced back to their superstar genes.
Meanwhile, the siblings continue to ride in the dynasty’s slipstream, as evidenced by their decision to perform together at Dubai Summer Surprises this weekend.
Jaden Smith
Jaden was familiar to millions by the tender age of 8, when he starred alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness, the hit 2006 film based on the story of American entrepreneur Chris Gardner, who spent a year sleeping on the streets of San Francisco.
Jaden was co-opted safely into the family business, and earned a Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Movie Awards.
He followed this with sci-fi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still two years later. But his most memorable performance to date was in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, in which he held his own against superstar Jackie Chan. Despite lukewarm reviews, the role helped Jaden step a little further out of his father's shadow.
It also helped launch his career in music, with a guest slot on Justin Bieber's theme song from the film Never Say Never, which hit the US Billboard top 10 and kick-started a friendship between the pair that continues to this day – despite the fact that Bieber is five years older.
Since then, Jaden has dropped more than 20 singles, two mixtapes and, earlier this year, an EP confusingly titled This Is the Album.
He describes his lyrical inspiration as “the melancholiness of the ocean; the melancholiness of everything else”.
Jaden has not turned his back on acting, however, reprising the partnership with his father in the 2013 sci-fi movie After Earth, a critical disaster for which he won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. Time to step out of daddy's shadow for good?
Willow Smith
Perhaps inspired by a case of Youngest Child Syndrome, Willow is arguably the most natural star of the three siblings, and has shown streetwise sass since the 2010 launch of her single Whip My Hair.
The platinum-selling debut clocked 100 million Vevo plays, and set Willow on the course to stardom at the age of 9. She was quickly signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation – the youngest artist to do so – and picked up a New Artist gong at the NAACP Image Awards.
A year later, she teamed up with the queen of hip-hop, Nicki Minaj, on Fireball. However, despite the badge of respect, that tune flopped commercially, which may be why 2012's scheduled debut album Knees and Elbows never materialised.
Rumour has it that it was scrapped in the search for a more mature sound – Willow became a teenager in 2013, after all – which was evident with the release of last year’s impressive, edgier EP 3.
While music is clearly her first love, Willow has dabbled in acting, too. Again, she first found screen time alongside her father, at the age of 7, with a minor role in 2007's I Am Legend.
Another small part in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl won Willow a Young Artist Award, but since then she's stayed away from the big screen, only providing her voice to animated hits Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Merry Madagascar.
She may, however, have another career on the cards – as an author. Willow has reportedly been writing novels since she was 6. Her inspiration? "There're no novels that I like to read, so I write my own novels," she told The New York Times's T Magazine. "And then I read them again, and it's the best thing."
• Jaden and Willow Smith perform at 4.30pm today at The Dubai Mall's Fashion Catwalk, followed by a meet and greet. They will also host a styling session on Saturday at 7pm. Both events are free
rgarratt@thenational.ae