Nile Rodgers wants to collab with Willow Smith: ‘She‘s extraordinary’

He’s worked with the likes of David Bowie, Madonna and Daft Punk, but our Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024 Global Icon, Nile Rodgers, wants to add another name to that list: Willow Smith.

Speaking to Rolling Stone UK at last night’s Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024, Nile admitted that a collaboration with the singer – the daughter of Will and Jada Smith – was the next thing to tick off in his storied career.

“I’d love to work with Willow Smith. I just met her the other day and she blew my mind,” he said. “I was like, this girl is gonna change what we used to call fusion jazz when I was younger. She’s extraordinary.”

While the collab is next on his list, Nile could scoop more GRAMMYs next year for his work on Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter, having previously worked with the star on 2022’s Renaissance.

“She’s one of the few artists that really allowed me to be me,” he said. “When I play music in a collective, I always want to join a band, I just can’t help it. But Beyoncé seems to have this certain type of respect that, you know, if he thinks of it, it’s cool.”

And a return to Worthy Farm could be on the horizon too, it seems. Speaking to press at the awards, Nile said he’ll be following on from Sir Rod Stewart when he plays a Legends Slot at Glastonbury next year. “We’re going to have a blast because we follow him directly,” Nile said.

“We’re gonna have a great time together,” he continued. “I don’t know who’s in his current band, but we’ll probably be jamming. Regardless of what the world may think, Rod Stewart and I, we really love each other. We really are quite close.”

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