She’s relinquished her bows and is onto bigger and better things. She’s taking the internet by storm. She is JoJo Siwa. Child actress and dancer Siwa has made what she calls “the biggest transformation in music history.” Siwa released her new song “Karma” this past week and revealed to her fans that she has been working on a major project to fit her brand new “bad girl era.”
With her drastic music rebrand, Siwa has caught the attention of millions. There are over eighty thousand TikTok videos under her new song. However, much of this attention is aimed at insulting both the star and her new personality, with hundreds of parodies being spread across differing social media platforms, mocking her. Whether this truly is the new JoJo or just another attention-seeking celebrity finding ways to crawl back into the spotlight, Siwa has definitely found a way to stand out from the crowd.
Who is JoJo Siwa anyways?
Siwa got her big break at age eleven when she joined the beloved reality TV show Dance Moms. Known for her painfully high ponytails and enthusiastic personality, she began to take on the role of every middle schooler’s favorite celebrity. After leaving the show in 2016, she signed a contract with Nickelodeon, got several cameos on different Nickelodeon shows, and continued to appeal to children by embodying a childlike persona. The pattern of going viral because of cyberbullying started with the release of her first hit song “Boomerang.” While the lyrics of the song do claim that JoJo “Won’t let the haters get their way,” and in reality she ignored the taunting and continued doing what she loved, the haters did get her music video to one billion views on YouTube. Following the release of her song, in 2019 Siwa began her first concert tour named “D.R.E.A.M. The Tour.” She visited 52 cities in the U.S. and Canada, ending with a 27 million dollar profit at just the mere age of nineteen. In 2021, Dancing with the Stars brought JoJo back to her dancer roots as she performed with partner Jenna Johnson, finishing off the season in second place. In 2021 she came out as gay on TikTok, inspiring millions of people all over the world as for the first time someone with such a young fan base publicly identified as LGBTQ+. With her consistent attitude of being unafraid to be her truest self, JoJo Siwa is one of this generation’s biggest and boldest icons.
Siwa released her single “Karma” on April 5. The song has reached almost seventeen million views since its release with 161 thousand likes. Additionally, the song is the number one trending music on YouTube worldwide. The music video depicts Siwa in several different scenes, one being a deserted island as some sort of sea monster. It is clear that JoJo Siwa ditched her Claire’s aesthetic and went for something more Hot Topic-esque. In both the music video and several red carpets she has attended, Siwa is dressed in an all-black bedazzled bodysuit. Besides the outfit, JoJo also has been wearing striking black face makeup that is almost reminiscent of the KISS leader singer, Gene Simmons. Despite heavily drawing inspiration from KISS, in a recent interview, Siwa admitted to not knowing who Simmons was, which seemed a bit odd for a pursuing musician like herself. Although disregarding the impact of KISS on her rebrand, Siwa does admit that Miley Cyrus is her muse and true inspiration. Siwa said she wants her new era to resemble Bangerz by Cyrus, most notably known by Miley Cyrus’s rebellious nature and top chart hit Wrecking Ball. People on the internet have claimed that “Karma” isn’t actually JoJo Siwa’s song, but a scrapped Cyrus song from years prior. “Karma” was produced and written by Rock Mafia, who worked alongside Cyrus in the 2010s. This past Tuesday, Siwa released a new episode to her podcast, JoJo Siwa Now, hyping up the Karma release, and we’re anticipating the next episode to feature her dream guest AKA one of her exes (if you know you know). Side note: if this gets to JoJo’s PR team, we would love the opportunity to be your next featured guest.
What made this song truly go viral was the iconic dance that went along with it. Before releasing the song, JoJo teased the drop by posting the choreography on social media. It instantly blew up and dancers across the internet began learning the steps. The most iconic component was her aggressive combination of a stomp, spirited head shake, and robotic arm pounding. JoJo Siwa received brutal commentary about her bizarre and “all-out” dance moves. In the Viall Files podcast, Siwa said she was trolling her fans with her dance, but most believe this is an attempted cover-up for her embarrassment over the response to the choreography. She is so convinced that she is making that significant change in the music industry that Siwa said she wants to create a new genre: gay pop. While JoJo has contributed a lot to pop culture, fans think it is a bit of a stretch as she compares her rebranding to music legends like Elvis and Prince. But people admire her ambition and dedication to her rebrand.
After reading this article, we hope we don’t throw you down a never-ending JoJo Siwa rabbit hole, feverishly scrolling through each TikTok video that dissects her strategy like we have. Siwa’s transformation from bows to bad girl is certainly catching the public eye. Nevertheless, she continues to aggressively stomp to the beat of her own drum. Let’s raise our bows, or maybe now it’s our black combat boots, to JoJo Siwa for continuing to shock us all. Doesn’t the saying go: All publicity is good publicity? It appears to be for JoJo Siwa.
