Welcome to Music Daily’s Trending Tracks, where we highlight the artists and trends occupying the music industry’s attention. Some come out of the woodwork, others have endured a months-long crusade to greatness. Nonetheless, all of them are captivating the short-circuited minds of Gen-Z social media users.
Today, former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa makes her first appearance on Trending Tracks as she attempts a more mature image and sound on her new single, “Karma.”
The Shady Business of JoJo Siwa’s “Karma”
Despite the excessive dry humping, scary KISS-inspired red carpet look, and controversial “gay pop” statements, former Nickelodeon golden child JoJo Siwa finds her good-girl-gone-bad single “Karma” a troll-worthy success. Separated from her kids-appropriate catalog, the single’s debut found better traction with the accompanying music video (now bolstering over 24 million views on YouTube) rather than streaming services.
This discrepancy comes after her sit-down with Billboard News, where Siwa ignorantly discredited LGBTQ-identifying musicians. “When I first signed with Columbia [Records], I said I wanted to start a new genre of music,” Siwa said. “They said, ‘What do you mean?’ and I said, ‘It’s called gay pop.’ It’s like K-pop, but it’s gay pop. There’s a style of dance called jazz-funk. It’s jazz, it’s hip-hop, they have a baby, they made jazz-funk.”
After facing notable backlash from sister pop duo Tegan and Sara, Siwa clarified her statement on SiriusXM’s Hits 1 Miami with Mack & Jen, expressing a need for legitimacy: “Gay pop, right, is a thing that people have done, but it is not an official genre of music.”
Why Is An Unknown Singer Getting More Clout From JoJo Siwa’s “Karma”?
But the “Karma” nightmare doesn’t end there, no. Despite her spastic dance moves capturing the biggest turnout for Miami Beach Pride, the single is currently being outperformed by its original singer Brit Smith. Yes, the 2012 single, titled “Karma’s A B****,” resurfaced on streaming services shortly after Siwa’s release. And, as of Wednesday, Smith’s recording of “Karma” ranks No. 7 on the U.S. iTunes pop charts, while Siwa fails to place. Smith originally wanted to release “Karma” as her debut single, which Interscope Records blocked a decade earlier.
Thus, much of Siwa’s success virality is solely secured in TikTok vacuum, clickbait article headlines and music video memes. Here’s to hoping her next single weathers her disastrous PR shenanigans. Stream “Karma” by JoJo Siwa below.
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