Willow 'Daughter of Will' Smith really is the comeback kid

Willow Smith is said to be planning a comeback (Getty Images)

Attempted comebacks in the entertainment world are frequent, but few get to contemplate one before their 13th birthday. But then, not everyone has had Willow Smith’s early success.

Willow, daughter of Hollywood actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, first achieved fame in her own right aged just nine when the hugely catchy “Whip My Hair”, went to No 2 in the UK singles charts. Child superstardom seemed secure when she landed the lead role in a remake of Annie, but shortly afterwards, Willow pulled out.

According to her mother, however, the child star is already planning a return to the limelight. “She decided that she wants to be 12 and says right now she’s really concentrating on music skills,” she told Associated Press. “She’s really just developing herself... She’s taking her time to develop her skills, so when she feels like people are ready to know the real Willow, then she will make a comeback.”

To do so would mark one of the earliest returns ever seen. The likes of Angelina Jolie, Charlie Sheen and siblings Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal all started early (they, too, had families in the business), before making comebacks several years later as adult stars.

But if the comeback doesn’t work out, Willow has still got plenty of time to make another (or, indeed, do something else).