One thing is for sure, JoJo Siwa has been living rent-free in our minds for the past few weeks. It all started with a punky, Kiss-reminiscent makeover that launched the musician’s bad girl era and swiftly tore her away from the previous My Little Pony-fever dream aesthetic she’d created. Shortly after, Siwa released her new pop track ‘Karma’ on 5 April 2024, which undoubtedly was intended to solidify her status as a queer icon (let’s maybe skip the part where many queer people argued that it actually made them straight). And now, the former child star is getting real about her cosmetic procedures, revealing that one treatment in particular cost her a whopping $50,000!
Netizens discovered a clip from the ‘Karma’ singer’s appearance at the 2024 GLADD Media Awards, in which BuzzFeed asked her to point out the most expensive item that she was wearing. Siwa promptly replied: “My teeth.”
@buzzfeednow Asking celebs at the GLAAD Media Awards what's the most expensive thing they're wearing #jojosiwa #melanielynskey #jennifertilly #mostexpensive #glaadmediaawards #glaadmediaawards2024
♬ original sound - BuzzFeed Now - BuzzFeed Now
The singer elaborated: “These motherf*ckers cost me 50 grand,” clarifying that she had very expensive veneers.
The Dance Moms alum first made headlines this month when she launched a new look during the iHeartRadio Music Awards on 1 April. The reactions to her new aesthetic were mixed, to say the least, and marked a new era of experimental performances for the young singer.
Some critics noted that her attempt at a rebrand seemed very derivative of artists like Miley Cyrus, Dove Cameron, and Taylor Swift during her Reputation era.
jojo siwa tried and couldn’t compare pic.twitter.com/wzYJ1R68MO
— bry (@MAXXlNE) April 5, 2024
jojo siwa: “i’m the first of this generation to make this transition”
— cåris ✩ (@cinemacaris) April 5, 2024
dove cameron in 2022: pic.twitter.com/fHdKnlQExb
Then, accusations of having stolen the song began to surface and rapidly spread on social media.
NOT JOJO SIWA STEALING KARMA & SAYING SHE WROTE IT 😭 SHE CHANGED LITERALLY NOTHING. THE OG VERSION IS LITERALLY SO MUCH BETTER THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE SONG ITS JOJO. LIKE KNOWING IT WAS MILEYS SONG FIRST TOO OMG pic.twitter.com/YxHUX6jN9n
— hawa💋 (@diorbabe66) April 10, 2024
You know what. I thought I’d heard this song before. Rewind to 2012- Brit Smith- Karmas a Bitch. #JoJoSiwa pic.twitter.com/iMy1pkgC1b
— Dean (@DHuelin) April 10, 2024
JOJO SIWA STOLE KARMA HELP pic.twitter.com/hxILWflLBB
— bbl era (@notwhomstfarted) April 10, 2024
Just learned Jojo Siwa stole the entirety of Karma word for word from Brit Smith. You gotta be kidding me.
— Mika 🍉 (@mochikaji) April 10, 2024
Jojo Siwa stole the exact song of someone else’s 💀 https://t.co/lcoQBidbog
— nino bang 💍 | 🍉 (@skzrunaway) April 6, 2024
It turns out that the song was originally recorded by Cyrus in 2011. Then songwriter Matisse, better known as Brit Smith, recorded the track in 2012 and intended for it to be a single from her debut album before it got scrapped. Fast forward to 2024, when the song made it into the hands of JoJo Siwa, who finally gave it its release. In short, there was no stealing involved. Just a lot of passing around.
To a lot of netizens, this information seemed to be in contradiction with previous statements the singer made with which she insinuated that the song was about her ex-girlfriend.
“This song, I want you to listen for a very special ad-lib. Cause it is about one of my exes. And I will sure as hell point it out when that ad-lib comes—don’t you worry,” Siwa previously said. Fans interpreted what she did say about it as meaning that the song rather than just the ad-lib was intended to be about her ex.
@spillsesh_yt ♬ original sound - Spill Sesh
Then, things got incredibly awkward when the song and music video that were loaded with queerness didn’t seem to resonate with its target audience. It seems like Siwa is still a long way from being a queer dance-pop icon, or at least an unironic one.
if i turn straight it’s jojo siwa’s fault pic.twitter.com/pdIdt0FZzV
— h 🇵🇸 (@rrappsbitch) April 5, 2024
If gay marriage is taken away I blame jojo siwa tbh pic.twitter.com/ufWWSY8EWv
— Rose loves folklore (@Rosetheswift) April 7, 2024
HELP WHY IS SHE HUMPING HER 😭😭 #Jojosiwa #karma pic.twitter.com/zEiuBXxjea
— ryan (@ThePhoenixKingg) April 5, 2024
Queer netizens felt specifically offended by recent comments Siwa made in a recent interview with Billboard News. During the interview, the artist claimed to have invented gay pop: “I said, ‘I want to start a new genre of music.’ And they said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s called ‘Gay Pop’.”
How can JoJo Siwa think she invented gaypop when these legends exist? 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RB672ElPj5
— ☆Mj☆ (@anticyclon3) April 8, 2024
Nevertheless, a lot of netizens still expressed their respect for Siwa, her bold makeover, and her commitment to making uniquely queer art.
Jojo Siwa giving a masterclass in committing to a bad concept. none of this works and yet she put her whole pussy into it respect https://t.co/aMjX9TNWkz
— Sandy (@beateasy) April 6, 2024
this might get my gay pass taken away but karma by jojo siwa is low key a banger
— ™️ (@taylor_peck) April 5, 2024