When Trey ‘Ace’ Smith walks into a press junket full of strangers in Dubai, he grins and shakes hands like it’s a reunion.
Smith, 23-year-old son of actor Will Smith and TV personality Sheree Fletcher, has begun filming in the UAE this week for a new show. It follows his growth as a DJ (he’s a chameleon of genres, adjusting his sets depending on location, venue and crowd) with a special focus on culture. The title, for now, is The World Keeps Spinning.
In the UAE, fans will be able to spot his friendly smile behind the decks at Noir Lounge inside the Kempinski Hotel, Mall of the Emirates, on December 2.
“The opportunity to go around the world and just get a good amount of culture and see where people’s heads are at... It’s just so beneficial, especially for the music,” Trey told tabloid! on Monday afternoon.
He will film in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for 15 days, and will leave on December 10. He aims to hit up the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Design District and Ski Dubai, as well as the Abu Dhabi International Airport, the Heritage Village, Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Ferrari World, Jumeirah Etihad Towers and Yas Marina Circuit.
The details of when and where the production will air, and what other countries will feature, have not been finalised.
Smith, based out of Los Angeles, explains his universal vision and how his family made sure he grew up to be a perfect gentleman.
How are you feeling today? No jet lag?
I’m very, very glad to be here. I’m very jet-lagged.
When you walked into the room, you shook everyone’s hands. Who taught you that trait?
I guess mum and dad. They definitely whipped me into shape growing up. Watching how mum interacts with people, my bonus mum [actress Jada Pinkett Smith], my bonus father [NFL player Terrell Fletcher], and my dad — they were all really shining examples of what I want to be. The quote from dad was always, ‘perfect gentleman.’ Just watching him and how he operates, it really had an effect on me. I believe beyond anything else, everybody is — we’re all one. It’s all about love, to me. I believe that everybody deserves the same amount of love... We’re all equal and we’re all here to help each other and make a difference.
You’re in the UAE to film for a new show. Why now?
To be honest, I never even thought about doing a show in the first place. This opportunity was presented to me — just going through the meetings back home, and being introduced to this idea. I had already done music, the DJing thing, I had already started developing who I want to be as a musician. When this opportunity came across my life, I was just like, how can I not do this?
What’s the concept behind it?
I love music, and I really feel like I can benefit and help people with my music. I’m not really too familiar with documentaries, I’ve seen a few, but I feel like I’m really just documenting my music process. I’m in a different country, and the energy is incredible. It will turn into a show, but more importantly, it’s a… man, I don’t even know what to call it. Obviously music is a big part of it, but that’s not it. It’s fashion, it’s culture, it’s food, it’s everything. It’s people. Not everyone’s going to get opportunities to travel the world and do what they really want to do with life. With this incredible team, we just want to take the whole world on this journey with us.
How does the music come into it? Will we be seeing you DJing and producing?
Oh, absolutely. Everything. Everything musically. Me in the studio, me working on the production aspect of it, DJ shows. Travelling.
What are some of the other countries you’re planning to film in?
We don’t know yet. The UAE is the only one, we decided to just focus on this [stage in] Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and really give this one a great run and I think we’re going to turn up with some great stuff. Wherever the world takes us after… We hope to go around the world. That’s absolutely a goal.
*Smith’s set at Noir Lounge on December 2 is free of charge. It’s part of She Ladies Night. Women receive three beverages on the house until midnight. Event begins at 8pm.
