Empathogen (album)

Empathogen
Empathogen
	Standard edition cover
Studio album by Willow
Released	May 3, 2024
Genre	Jazz; progressive rock;
Length	32:00
Label	Three Six Zero; Gamma;
Producer	Jon Batiste; Eddie Benjamin; Chris Greatti; Willow;
Willow chronology
Singles from Empathogen
	"Symptom of Life"; Released: March 12, 2024; "Big Feelings"; Released: April 11, 2024;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	6.8/10^[2]
Sputnikmusic	4.3/5^[3]

Empathogen is the sixth studio album by American singer Willow.^[4] It was released through Three Six Zero and Gamma on May 3, 2024.

Release and promotion

Willow released the song "Symptom of Life" on March 12, 2024. A music video directed by the artist herself accompanied the song's release.^[5] Willow announced Empathogen on April 11, with a scheduled release date of May 3. Alongside the announcement, she released the second single "Big Feelings", which also featured a self-directed music video.^[6]^[7] On May 1, NPR Music featured Willow in a Tiny Desk Concert ahead of the album's release, where she performed "Symptom of Life", "Big Feelings", and another track from the album, "Run!".^[8] Empathogen was released on May 3, through Three Six Zero and Gamma.^[2] A deluxe edition titled Ceremonial Contrafact was released on September 27, with three additional tracks.^[9]

Track listing

*Empathogen* standard track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Home" (featuring Jon Batiste)	Willow Smith Jon Batiste Kate Munger	Smith Batiste Zach Brown^[a]	3:03
2.	"Ancient Girl"	Smith	Smith	1:30
3.	"Symptom of Life"	Smith Asher Bank Chris Greatti Brad Oberhofer	Smith Greatti	3:09
4.	"The Fear Is Not Real"	Smith Greatti	Smith Greatti	3:38
5.	"False Self"	Taylor Gordon Greatti	Smith Greatti	2:52
6.	"Pain for Fun" (featuring St. Vincent)	Smith Annie Clark Greatti	Smith Greatti	3:26
7.	"No Words 1 & 2"	Smith Eddie Benjamin	Smith Benjamin	1:24
8.	"Down"	Smith Benjamin	Smith Benjamin	1:11
9.	"Run!"	Smith Greatti	Smith Greatti	3:08
10.	"Between I and She"	Smith Bank Greatti Elijah Rawk	Smith Greatti Rawk^[a]	2:34
11.	"'I Know That Face.'"	Smith Benjamin	Smith Benjamin	1:50
12.	"Big Feelings"	Smith Greatti Zach Tenorio	Smith Greatti	4:24
Total length:				32:00

*Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen deluxe)* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Wanted" (featuring Kamasi Washington)	Smith Benjamin Kamasi Washington	Smith Benjamin	2:39
14.	"Layers"	Smith Benjamin	Smith Benjamin	2:37
15.	"To You"	Smith Antonio Mollura	Smith	1:30
Total length:				39:03

Notes

^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

Willow Smith – lead vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1, 2), background vocals (4, 5), electric guitar (4, 9)
Zach Brown – bass guitar, percussion (track 1)
Jon Batiste – drums, piano, vocals (track 1)
Chris Greatti – bass guitar (tracks 3–6, 9, 10, 12), guitar (3, 5), percussion (3–5, 9), acoustic guitar (4, 6, 9, 10), piano (9), electric guitar (10, 12)
Asher Bank – drums (tracks 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12)
Brad Oberhofer – piano (track 3)
Zach Tenorio – piano, synthesizer (tracks 5, 6, 12); strings (5)
Annie Clark – vocals (track 6)
Eddie Benjamin – bass guitar, drums, guitar, synthesizer (tracks 7, 8, 11)
Elijah Rawk – acoustic guitar, bass guitar (track 10)

Technical

Joe LaPorta – mastering
Mitch McCarthy – mixing
Zach Brown – engineering (tracks 1, 2)
Adam Schoeller – engineering (track 3)
Chris Greatti – engineering (track 3)
Oscar Cornejo – engineering (track 11)

Charts

Chart performance for *Empathogen*
Chart (2024)	Peak position
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)^[10]	3

References

^ Pareles, Jon (May 10, 2024). "Post Malone Goes Country With Morgan Wallen, and 8 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Green, Dylan. "Willow: empathogen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
^ A.R.O. "Review: Willow Smith – Empathogen". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
^ "Empathogen Willow". AllMusic.
^ Mier, Tomás (March 12, 2024). "Willow Drops 'Symptom of Life,' a 'Whimsical' Single With a 'Lot of Mystery'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ Paul, Larisha (April 11, 2024). "Willow Processes 'Darkness and Complexity' on 'Big Feelings' From New Album 'Empathogen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ Avila, Daniela (April 11, 2024). "Willow Shares 'Darkly Beautiful' Song 'Big Feelings' and Reveals Release Date for New Album empathogen". People. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
^ Pointer, Ashley (May 1, 2024). "WILLOW: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR Music. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
^ Abraham, Mya (September 27, 2024). "WILLOW, Gallant, Leon Thomas, And More New R&B For Lucid Dreams". Vibe. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
^ "Willow Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2024.

[1] Pareles, Jon (May 10, 2024). "Post Malone Goes Country With Morgan Wallen, and 8 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

[pitchfork-2] Green, Dylan. "Willow: empathogen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

[3] A.R.O. "Review: Willow Smith – Empathogen". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

[4] "Empathogen Willow". AllMusic.

[5] Mier, Tomás (March 12, 2024). "Willow Drops 'Symptom of Life,' a 'Whimsical' Single With a 'Lot of Mystery'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[6] Paul, Larisha (April 11, 2024). "Willow Processes 'Darkness and Complexity' on 'Big Feelings' From New Album 'Empathogen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[7] Avila, Daniela (April 11, 2024). "Willow Shares 'Darkly Beautiful' Song 'Big Feelings' and Reveals Release Date for New Album empathogen". People. Retrieved May 8, 2024.

[8] Pointer, Ashley (May 1, 2024). "WILLOW: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR Music. Retrieved May 8, 2024.

[9] Abraham, Mya (September 27, 2024). "WILLOW, Gallant, Leon Thomas, And More New R&B For Lucid Dreams". Vibe. Retrieved September 29, 2024.

[ac_BillboardJazz_Willow-10] "Willow Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2024.

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v t e Willow Smith
Discography
Studio albums	Ardipithecus (2015) The 1st (2017) Willow (2019) Lately I Feel Everything (2021) Coping Mechanism (2022) Empathogen (2024)
Collaborative albums	The Anxiety (2020)
Singles	"Whip My Hair" "21st Century Girl" "Fireball" "Wait a Minute!" "Transparent Soul" "Meet Me at Our Spot" "Emo Girl" "Purge" "Maybe It's My Fault" "Hover Like a Goddess" "Symptom of Life" "Big Feelings"
Featured singles	"Psychofreak" "Where You Are"
Related articles	Will Smith Jada Pinkett Smith Jaden Smith

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