Willow Smith Pulls a Beyoncé, Drops Surprise Debut Album, Ardipithecus

On Friday, December 11, and without warning, 15-year-old Willow Smith released her debut album, Ardipithecus.

However, as USA Today notes, Willow’s sparingly used Twitter account “seemed to signal that something was on the horizon.”

And then, on December 11 itself, the great reveal:

Willow, who wrote and produced almost all of the tracks on the album, explained its underpinning concept in an email to USA Today:

“Ardipithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth…I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because, while I was making these songs I was in such a transitional state. Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being lyrics to songs. Ardipithecus is my first album in my entire career and it makes me feel so blessed to be able to share my evolution with the Lighteaters as I continue excavating my inner worlds…”

I like this pixieish, weird girl. And that is a pretty sweet name for an album. Thanks for the surprise, Willow.