Athenian Reacts to JoJo Siwa 2.0 and Her “Gay Pop” Rebrand

With bedazzled black and silver rhinestone unitard, braided mohawk updo, and heavy black eye makeup in the shape of stars, JoJo Siwa's KISS-inspired outfit at the April 1 iHeart Radio Awards was a huge departure from her earlier days. The “Dance Moms” star has abandoned her previous uniform look of huge, colorful bows, fluffy side ponytails, and rainbow, bedazzled attire. JoJo’s latest song “Karma” marks a new era in Siwa’s history, which she calls a “breakthrough in the new Gay Pop genre.”  

“Karma” has been a very hot topic on social media platforms this month. What do Athenians think of the so-called “rebrand” and the celebrity behind it?

Joelle Joanie Siwa, better known by her moniker “JoJo,” is a famous singer, dancer, and internet celebrity from Omaha, Nebraska. As a child, her online fame skyrocketed when she got recruited to appear in the reality dance TV show “Dance Moms.” After leaving the show in 2016, she further built her brand and personal image, becoming increasingly popular among young girls. In quick succession, the singer released a series of singles, such as “Boomerang,” “Bop!,” and “Kid in a Candy Store,” that gained popularity. 

Tenth-grader Riley Pattinson said, “When I was younger, I was a big “Boomerang” fan. I was not a fan of JoJo Siwa herself, but I really liked that she was like, ‘I'm gonna come back like a boomerang’ in the song. And then, I have a friend who was a huge super fan and bought tickets for her concert and went to her concert. She had all the bows and everything. She even had the Jojo Siwa bow box. It was a monthly package that came every month with the new bow and stickers.” 

Australian exchange student Izzy Skirving said, “I did listen to JoJo Siwa songs growing up, but I didn’t really see her as an icon person. I listened to her songs only because they were trending at the time and other friends listened to them.” 

Eventually, the internet star’s popularity died down a little and she focused on her social media channels, filming various YouTube videos and TikToks. Then, in April of 2024, Siwa released the song “Karma” with an accompanying music video. The video received lots of attention and backlash. The song was a mystifying combination of Siwa singing, dancing, and interacting with a woman on the beach. 

Tenth-grader Caiden Bedi said, “I thought the song itself was bad, but it was funny to laugh at. Then the music video made it even funnier because she licked some lady, and did a bunch of weird stuff on the beach. Also, her outfit was a little crazy. I was just like, ‘What's going on?’ It looked so low budget, especially because she was on that tiny little island with her strange outfit.”

“It's one of these songs that are just made for a 15-second viral clip on TikTok. It's definitely giving that energy, except for some reason, she's actually proud of it,” Caiden said. “I don't know. I don't really think the lyrics of that song have a lot of artistic merit to them.” 

In addition to discussions of the song and music video, much of the most recent conversation in online communities about JoJo Siwa has centered on her proclamations of creating a “new Gay Pop” genre. In an interview with Billboard, Siwa said, “When I first signed with Columbia Records, I said I wanted to start a new genre of music, and they said what do you mean? I said, ‘Well it’s called “Gay Pop.” It’s like K-pop but it’s Gay Pop.”’

This claim has caused an uproar in the entertainment industry. Some fully support it, while others are indignant, bringing up well-known industry names like Tegan and Sara, Elton John, and Troye Sivan. 

Caiden said, “I absolutely hate that she is saying she invented the Gay Pop genre because there are so many other, not even just Gay Pop artists, but gay artists in history. Obviously, Elton John is very famous. There are also so many others, including Lil Nas X and Troye Sivan. There are a lot of examples of gay people in the pop music space, and she's ignoring that just for her own virality, which I think is so messed up. She's not acknowledging the history of the genre that she's supposedly invented.”

Most are unwilling to acknowledge Siwa’s alleged invention of the genre and some don’t even want the singer to advertise her song as Gay Pop at all. 

Riley said, “I think that Jojo Siwa did not invent Gay Pop. I don't really want to call her music Gay Pop because it's just a gay person who's singing pop, which is not Gay Pop.”