The actor-rapper released his last album, Lost and Found, in 2005
Will Smith has been tapped to headline France’s Positiv Festival next year. The actor-rapper will perform July 31 at the Roman Theatre of Orange located in southeast France, organizers announced Tuesday. It will be his first performance in the country.
Smith, who gave listeners Nineties hits like “Men in Black,” “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” and “Summertime,” has begun to carve his way back into the music business. Smith gave a rare performance at the 2024 BET Awards in June, performing his new single “You Can Make It” alongside Fridayy, Sunday Service Choir, and surprise guest Kirk Franklin. The performance marked Smith’s return to the rap game, as he instructed listeners to overcoming personal struggles and face adversity. He released his last album, Lost and Found, back in 2005.
“Through some of my darkest moments, music has always been there for me — to lift me and help me grow,” Smith wrote on Instagram ahead of the June 28 release of “You Can Make It.” “It’s my humble wish that it can do the same for you and bring you all the joy and light you deserve.”
The following month, Smith released trap track “Work of Art,” with his son Jaden Smith and New Jersey rapper Russ, along with a music video filmed in La Velada Del Año 4 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. His decision to step out of rap retirement follows the actor’s infamous appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards where he slapped Chris Rock, before accepting his Best Actor Oscar later that evening for his role in King Richard.
Following the incident, Smith starred as a runaway slave in Emancipation (2022), and earlier this year returned to the big screen for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, alongside Martin Lawrence.
