Jojo Siwa, a former contestant on Dance Moms, is a name you might or may not have buried deep in your memory. That is, until the 20-year-old recently exploded back into public consciousness. But exactly who is Jojo Siwa?
Back in 2015, rising to prominence on the American reality television show, Jojo was a cute 12-year-old who appeared alongside her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, ranking in the top five contestants despite being the youngest on the season. A born performer, she later launched a singing career with the help of YouTube.
But now she's appearing in a very different guise, undergoing a public image overhaul. It all began a few months ago, in October last year, when Jojo jumped on stage at a G Flip concert, and began gyrating in the air. The footage went viral on TikTok, with users commenting on the drastic new look: ‘What happened to ur rainbows and cupcakes?’ [sic], read one comment.
A visual focal point of this rebrand is the release of her new single, ‘Karma’. All eyes are on the music video, which has received over 18 million views (at the time of writing) on YouTube. The undeniably catchy, poppy tune features the mother of all transformations: Siwa in black and white face paint, with a punky, spiked-up mohawk hairstyle. It's an outfit Siwa donned in real life as she walked the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this month.
There is also a scene on a boat where Siwa appears to pay homage to her Dance Moms past, wearing an outfit of white, sequinned shorts and a bralette set during a scene on a boat, before diving into the water – a visual symbolism of her change of image? You betcha!
She has abandoned the heterosexual constraints that once defined her career.
The former child star identifies as LGBT and shared her coming out story with Entertainment Daily back in 2021. She has been vocal about her sexuality, wearing a ‘GAYEST PERSON ALIVE’ T-shirt for her G Flip stage appearance.
Accordingly, in the music video for 'Karma', she dances sensually and then simulates sex with a woman who poses as her love interest. However, she has got in an accidental internet spat after claiming in an interview with Billboard that she “started a new genre of music…called gay pop”. Cue a subtle side-eye from the band Tegan and Sara – identical twins who are both gay and have been active on the music scene since 1995.
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Mishaps aside, it would be fair to say Siwa is currently all over the internet promoting the single release, appearing everywhere from Alex Cooper's ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast (one of the most popular in the world) this week to a ramp-up in posts to her 11 million strong following on Instagram.
On the Call Her Daddy podcast episode, Siwa referenced her image change: “When I was eight, Miley had her Bangerz moment and I was like, 'All I want is to have that one day.' I want that'.” She alluded to then-20 year old Miley Cyrus' public rebranding from a Disney Channel star synonymous with her Hannah Montana character to a more edgier persona – which coincided with the release of her single, Bangerz, in 2013.
With a break-out single and a few memorable talked-about moments on the internet, it looks like Jojo is well on the point of no return in shedding her Dance Moms image.
