The American superstar, who is reconnecting with his past in rap, will perform in Orange in Vaucluse next summer.
After years away from the music scene to devote himself to his acting career, Will Smith will soon make his comeback as a rapper in France. The 56-year-old American artist will perform at the Théâtre antique d'Orange (Vaucluse) on July 31, as part of the Positiv Festival. The organizers of the musical event announced it on Tuesday, December 3, and opened the ticket office this Wednesday.
“I had the information that Will Smith was getting back into singing, that he needed and wanted to come back on stage,” Julien Gaona, director of the festival, told France 3. “And we wanted to surprise festival-goers.”
There is indeed reason to be surprised: if Will Smith has been suggesting a return to music for several months, this participation in the Positiv Festival is his only concert scheduled to date. In addition, according to Variety, this will be his very first concert in France.
Dual career
After a first Grammy Award in 1988 for his title Parents Just Don’t UnderstandWill Smith cut his artistic teeth on television, in the cult sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air broadcast between 1990 and 1996, for which he performed the theme song. At the same time, he launched his musical career and enjoyed success as a rapper, with four albums released between 1997 and 2005. He then deserted the recording studios in favor of the big screen.
The sagas Bad Boys et Men in Black, Independence Day, Wild Wild West, I, Robot, In search of happiness, I am a legend… Will Smith has had a string of successes in the cinema, reaching the peak of his career in 2022 with the Oscar for best actor for The Williams Method. A coronation tainted by a burst of anger which excited the media around the world.
Resounding scandal
A few moments before receiving the statuette, the actor went on stage to slap comedian Chris Rock, who had just made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Images of this outburst of violence went around the world, and Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years.
Return through the musical door
Since then, Will Smith has appeared in a small handful of films (notably the fourth installment of Bad Boysreleased last June). And in recent months, he has shown a desire to return to the rap of his beginnings.
In April he joined J. Balvin on the stage of his concert at Coachella. Together they performed Men In Black, hit taken from the soundtrack of the 1997 blockbuster which contributed to its notoriety. At the end of June, he unveiled his first rap title in seven years, You Can Make Itwhich he performed on the BET Awards stage. A new title, Work of Arta collaboration with his son Jaden Smith and Russ, was released in July. Still according to Variety, an album is in preparation.
