[dancemoms clips on YouTube, Abby Lee Miller on tape] JoJo! Have you learned nothing?
[music: “Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions]
JoJo Siwa has, in fact, learned nothing. The Dance Moms alum, once known for her slick-back ponytail and larger-than-life hair bows, has entered her Bangerz era. Or, at least, she’s trying to—to the dismay of the chronically online and Generation Z alike.
[music fades]
Siwa originally gained notoriety after placing in the top-5 on the second season of Abby Lee Miller’s Ultimate Dance Competition, then joining the famed dance instructor’s company soon thereafter.
After her two season tenure on the infamous reality show, Siwa began her music career with the release of the 2016 single “Boomerang,” establishing her association with the PC, kid-friendly, and kitschy image she’s been unable to shake.
Leading up to 2024, it seemed Siwa’s Nickelodeon-safe appeal was here to stay. That is until we got “Karma”—Siwa’s fatally capitalistic, and, shocker!, mild profanity-laced attempt to prove to the world that:
[music: “Karma” by JoJo Siwa] I was a bad girl, I did some bad things.
Of course, the Internet had its thoughts, for the most part universally panning the dancer-turned-wannabe-popstar for what was deemed as “faux-edgy” and “performed with all the conviction of the elementary-age students who used to be her fans” by Jason P. Frank of Vulture.
Tired of sifting through all the discourse, I was curious about what my Northwestern peers had to say. To do so, I assembled a packed roundtable of JoJo fans, JoJo fan-adjacents, and everyone in between to get the scoop. Here’s what they had to say:
AVA HOELSCHER: So JoJo Siwa is from Iowa and I’m from Iowa, so we have a really deep emotional connection that goes way back. Actually, the very first article that I ever published was about JoJo Siwa because her aunt lives in my hometown. So we’re basically like sisters.
That’s Medill and Weinberg sophomore Ava Hoelscher. We began our conversation by discussing initial impressions of the “Karma” singer, taking it all the way back to her Dance Mom days.
VIRGINIA HUNT: I watched her on there when she was kind of constantly bullied by Abby, and she was kind of an underdog. And so I feel like in some ways, you kind of rooted for her a little, just because she was real.
That’s Medill and Weinberg sophomore Virginia Hunt. To her, seeing Siwa initially start on the show at such a young age fostered a sense of sympathy. For Weinberg sophomore Ella Marks, however, her associations with the singer tended to align with the greater Internet’s.
ELLA MARKS: The first things that I think of when I think of JoJo Siwa are the bows and the receding hairline. I feel like her receding hairline was such a big topic of conversation, and I know it sounds funny but genuinely those are my first memories.
After talking impressions, I was curious to hear the group’s thoughts on what everyone can’t seem to stop talking about: “Karma.” Opinions, expectedly, were mixed.
AINSLIE WILSON: Initial reaction: wow. I couldn’t stop watching the music video. I think it’s brilliant. It does its job if its job is capturing attention. And I do think it’s catchy.
That’s School of Communication sophomore Ainslie Wilson. Though others in the group were more iffy about the single, Wilson spoke high praise for Siwa and her edgier musical rebrand. Others, including Medill and Weinberg sophomore Lexi Goldstein, commented on the song’s music video and its inclusivity.
LEXI GOLDSTEIN: I feel like that is one of the better things that came from the music video and the song, mainly the music video, and the representation was great for the queer community. But at the same time, I think—I’m sorry for saying this—it’s kind of a forgettable song.
Siwa came out as queer in 2021 and has since become a staunch advocate against bullying and discrimination against people based on sexual orientation. Despite supporting her work for the LGBTQ+ community, Goldstein was critical over Siwa’s recent memeable comments on how she “wanted to start a new genre … called ‘gay pop’” through the release of “Karma.”
GOLDSTEIN: There’s so many queer icons that came before her and have produced art forms that are music or otherwise that are just a lot more mature.
Siwa also caught flack after listeners found out that “Karma” wasn’t completely a JoJo original. Back in 2012, singer Brit Smith had attempted to launch her career with the song, which, after Siwa’s release, resurfaced on TikTok when users noted the exact same lyrics in both versions.
After Smith’s recording began charting, many on the Internet were quick to accuse Siwa of “stealing,” though Smith has since come to Siwa’s defense, stating that she had “done nothing wrong.”
Despite the backlash, though, many in the group were quick to defend Siwa’s savviness.
HOELSCHER: People can say what they will but JoJo has been a businesswoman since the beginning. She’s been selling JoJo bowbows, and now she’s marketing the heck out of this song. And I appreciate her for that.
Like Hoelscher, Goldstein echoed a similar appreciation for the way JoJo has run her business.
GOLDSTEIN: Her entire empire is built off of pretending like she’s not aware of how other people perceive her, but playing into it. And I think, you know, if it makes you millions of dollars, it’s kind of like, why not?
As Siwa sings many times throughout “Boomerang,” she just “won’t let the haters get their way,” something that Marks was quick to note.
MARKS: I feel like people hate on her so much, but at the end of the day, she doesn’t outwardly care about the hate at least and also is profiting off of it much more than most of her haters are.
For Hunt, what really strikes her about the singer is what really lies underneath all of this new found “bad girl” branding.
HUNT: I really do feel like part of the intrigue is I just want the mask to come off because I feel like when she was younger, like sure that might have been like her personality. But I think now that she’s 20 something I’m like there’s no way.
So what will come of JoJo Siwa’s journey into the “dark side?” Will the mask come off? Was it all just a publicity stunt? Only time will tell. For now, though, we’ll keep convulsively dancing our hearts out to “Karma,” no matter what the haters say.
For WNUR News, I’m Bazil Frueh.
[music: “Boomerang” by JoJo Siwa]
