Will Smith channels his post-slap introspection into music on ‘Based on a True Story’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith could have let his infamous Oscar slap be his cinematic fade out with a career bruised, marriage dissected and reputation in a free fall. But instead of retreating, he turned inward for self-reflection.

In the process, Smith rediscovered a long-neglected creative outlet in music, using the mic as a vessel to voice his thoughts after years of prioritizing his Hollywood dominance.

“I’ve taken the last couple of years to really do a deep dive on the parts of me that may or may not been in that level of certainty and asking those deep scary internal questions,” said Smith, an Oscar and Grammy winner, who will release his fifth studio album “Based on a True Story” on Friday. It's his first music project in two decades since “Lost and Found.”

“It really is the result of my initial self-examination,” he said. “Every song is about some part of myself that I discovered or wanted to explore, something I wanted to share. It’s the most full musical offering that I’ve ever created.”

Smith’s new offering features guest appearances from Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, DJ Jazzy Jeff, his son Jaden Smith, Jac Ross and Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir. His album weaves in gospel melodies and messages, but he doesn’t call it a full-blown gospel project, despite the success of “You Can Make It,” which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart.

Still, Smith let his renewed faith take the lead, steering his creative direction. He plans to release three albums this year, shaping each project into what he calls seasons.

The first season, Rave in the Wasteland, plays out across the 14 tracks of “Based on True Story” and represents his willingness to learn from life’s lessons.

“I’ve come to some really beautiful answers for myself,” Smith said. “My perception of God and reality.”

Though Smith, 56, is still a bankable global star, rebuilding trust and momentum has been an uphill battle. He’s grappled with harsh realities while trying to move past the backlash from slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022 and his 10-year ban from the ceremony.

Several entertainers — including Zoë Kravitz, Wanda Sykes and Rob Reiner — criticized Smith’s actions. Jim Carrey was particularly vocal, stating that Smith had been “ living beyond the bandwidth ” and cracked under the pressure.

When asked about Carrey’s “bandwidth” remark, Smith agreed but reiterated that he needed to step back to gain a deeper understanding of himself and move beyond his own limitations.

“There’s a small self that — the small concept of myself - can get to the end of his bandwidth," he said. "And then, if I back up, there’s like an infinite space, where my bandwidth is the bandwidth of life itself. It’s like trying to not get stuck in having to be only a narrow band of things, to give myself permission to be wider in the truth of who and what I actually am.”

Smith’s road to redemption grew tougher when Rock’s comedy special reignited the controversy and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir “Worthy” put their marriage under fresh scrutiny, sparking headlines and endless social media memes.

Smith said the adversity not only tested him but fueled his creativity.

“There’s a certain psychological and emotional fortitude that you cultivate from, leaning into the difficulty, not trying to run away,” said Smith, who added he sought to build “spiritual confidence” inspired by the resilience of his late grandmother and Nelson Mandela. Along the way, he found Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chödrön's teachings, embracing her mantra of “leaning into the sharp points.”

These influences became pillars as Smith explored himself more deeply. The way his grandmother, Mandela and Chödrön approached life pushed him to channel his journey back into music.

“It is essentially learning how to accept and celebrate my challenges, recognizing that my challenges and my obstacles and my difficulties are actually divine curriculum,” said Smith, a four-time Grammy winner, who is known for rap classics such as “ Summertime,” “ Men in Black,” “ Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It ” and “ Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

Those tracks had a laid-back feel, but his new album strikes a more serious tone.

“It’s what I’ve been given to learn the truth,” he continued. "There’s a way that I’m learning to be with hard times when things arise. It’s like ‘Good, yes, thank you.’ I'm willing to learn these lessons.”

Believe it or not, Smith is set to embark on his first-ever headline tour this summer.

He is structuring the shows around different phases of his life and career: One featuring Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, another highlighting his film and TV journey and third act he calls the “new phase, new energy,” where Jeff and others will return to the stage.

Smith will kick off his tour including festivals starting June 25 at the Mawazine festival in Morocco and expected to wrap up early September in Paris. He'll perform his past hits from “ Miami ” to “Summertime” along with songs from the new album across England, France and Germany.

As Smith gears up for his tour, he also has several films in pre-production, including “Fast and Loose,” “Hancock 2,” “I Am Legend 2” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles," according to IMDb. He's embracing this next phase of his career with renewed energy.

“This is about to be the greatest creative run of my entire career,” he said. “The things that I’m about to do in music and cinema, and just artistic expression and exploration. It’s like, I can’t sleep at night. I’m so ready to go.”

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith poses for a portrait on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election on Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.

After polls closed, the Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives. It wasn’t immediately clear, though, if they would win an outright majority — at least 172 — or would need to rely on one of the smaller parties to pass legislation.

The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state. Trump’s actions infuriated Canadians and stoked a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip the election narrative and win a fourth-straight term in power.

In a victory speech before supporters in Ottawa, Carney stressed the importance of Canadian unity in the face of Washington's threats. He also said the mutually beneficial system Canada and the U.S. had shared since World War II had ended.

“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” he said.

“As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney said. "These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never ... ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed.”

The Conservative Party's leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.

But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned and Carney, a two-time central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.

In a concession speech and with his own House of Commons seat still in doubt, Poilievre vowed to keep fighting for Canadians.

“We are cognizant of the fact that we didn't get over the finish line yet," Poilievre told supporters in Ottawa. "We know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time. It takes work. And that's why we have to learn the lessons of tonight — so that we can have an even better result the next time Canadians decide the future of the country.”

Even with Canadians grappling with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street festival, Trump was trolling them on election day, suggesting again on social media that Canada should become the 51st state and saying he was on their ballot. He also erroneously claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada, writing, “It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!”

Trump’s truculence has infuriated Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.

As Poilievre and his wife cast their ballots in Ottawa, he implored voters to “Get out to vote — for a change." After running a Trump-lite campaign for weeks, though, the Conservative leader's similarities to the bombastic American might have cost him.

Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre “sounds like mini-Trump to me.” And he said Trump’s tariffs are a worry.

“Canadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it’s definitely created some turmoil, that’s for sure,” he said.

Historian Robert Bothwell said Poilievre appealed to the “same sense of grievance” as Trump, but that it ultimately worked against him.

“The Liberals ought to pay him," Bothwell said, referring to the U.S. president. "Trump talking is not good for the Conservatives.”

Carney and the Liberals secured a new term, but they have daunting challenges ahead.

If they don't win a majority in Parliament, the Liberals might need rely on one of the smaller parties to remain in power and pass legislation. The Bloc Québécois, which looked set to finish third, is a separatist party from French-speaking Quebec that seeks independence from Canada. Trudeau’s Liberals relied on the New Democrats to remain in power for four years, but the progressive party faired poorly on Monday and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, said he was stepping down after eight years in charge.

“This is a dramatic comeback, but if the Liberals cannot win a majority of seats, political uncertainty in a new minority Parliament could complicate things for them,” said McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland.

Until this year, foreign policy hadn’t dominated a Canadian election this much since 1988, when, ironically, free trade with the United States was the prevailing issue.

In addition to the trade war with the U.S. and frosty relationship with Trump, Canada is dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. And more than 75% of its exports go to the U.S., so Trump's tariffs threat and his desire to get North American automakers to move Canada's production south could severely damage the Canadian economy.

While campaigning, Carney vowed that every dollar the the government collects from counter-tariffs on U.S. goods will go toward Canadian workers who are adversely affected by the trade war. He also said he plans to keep dental care in place, offer a middle-class tax cut, return immigration to sustainable levels and increase funding to Canada's public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Associated Press reporter Mike Householder contributed to this report.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, dances to Canadian band Down With Webster as they play live at campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, dances to Canadian band Down With Webster as they play live from campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacts with wife Diana Fox Carney on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney react on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida gesture following his speech at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses supporters at Liberal campaign headquarters in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre wave as they leave the stage Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney embraces his wife Diana Fox Carney before addressing supporters at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Justin Tang//The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to supporters on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh addresses supporters accompanied by his wife Gurkiran Kaur at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks to supporters on election night, in Montreal, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, center left, greets supporters on election night, in Montreal, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh kisses his wife Gurkiran Kaur as he pauses while addressing supporters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney greets attendees as he arrives to address supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters with his wife Anaida Poilievre at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida Poilievre kiss at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, center, walks with his wife Gurkiran Kaur as he arrives to address supporters on election night, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Anaida at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney smiles on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney take in the results on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney take in the results on election night in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Party's supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Party supporters cheer on results at the party election night headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

A voting sign stands near a memorial for victims after a vehicle drove into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Voters line up at a polling location at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Diana Fox Carney, left, votes in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh arrives for a sign waving campaign event with Port Moody-Coquitlam NDP candidate Bonita Zarrillo and volunteers on election day, in Port Moody, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

A sign for a federal election voting center stands near the memorial for the victims of a driver who rammed into a crowd during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Canada's new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney casts his vote in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, right, and his wife Anaida Poilievre cast their votes in the federal election in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Ottawa, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Elections Canada signage is seen as voters arrive at a polling station on Election Day in Halifax, Canada, Monday, April 28, 2025. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Leader Mark Carney makes an announcement during a tour of Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Leader Mark Carney holds a rally beside the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Liberal Leader Mark Carney holds a rally beside the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a rally in Oakville, Ontario, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - A digital bill board flashes a message in Kennedy Township, Pa., March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the start of the a plenary session at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a campaign rally in Delta, British Columbia, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Rich Lam /The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, left, and his son Phoenix, right, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick to show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs as they pose with with another visitor to the city wearing a mask of President Donald Trump in front of the White House in Washington, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)