Jojo Siwa’s rebrand is the greatest pop culture moment of the century
“Karma’s a bitch,” but Jojo Siwa is a genius. Siwa has gone from a high ponytail-wearing, bow-making, Nickelodeon star to an alternative, tattoo-covered butch lesbian icon. She has rocked the world with the rebrand of the century. Unlike other artists before her who have struggled to bridge the gap between being a child star and having a serious adult career, Jojo Siwa has meticulously and perfectly executed the switch. There are no wrecking balls here, only total bad girl vibes and black rhinestones.
The aspect of Siwa’s approach to this rebrand that is different and genius is that she prepared her audience for it. Instead of shocking the world with a sudden drug-crazed haircut and borderline pornographic music video (looking at you, Miley), she built up suspense and anticipation with several carefully crafted warnings and signs. By forewarning the explicit nature of her new content and music, she is leaving behind her kid-rampant fan base and building a new nation of Siwa supporters from the adult population. The captions on her Instagram posts even dropped subtle Easter eggs for her fans to puzzle over. This revolutionary idea has never been seen before, and Siwa pulled it off so perfectly that Taylor Swift fans are flocking to the Jojo fandom by the thousands.
While “Boomerang,” Siwa’s first single, was iconic in its own right, it is the mark of her childhood. “Karma…,” on the other hand, is ushering in a new era of pop culture that is shaking the world in its boots. It is fiery, edgy, and so adult that it’s hard to look back on “Boomerang” knowing what potential Siwa has been hiding inside her all this time.
It is hard to find the words to recount the moment in which Siwa released her new song. TikTok blew up with fan edits, new dance trends, and clips of the musician’s interviews with Steven Colbert, Ellen, and the President himself, Joe Biden. For those of you who were not outside when this once-in-a-lifetime event took place, the ground shook, the excited screams of people could be heard for miles, and the birds started chirping the melody to “Karma…” I nearly passed out and shit myself, I was so hyped.
Not only has Jojo Siwa’s new brand changed the game in the music industry, but her new style of dance has completely taken over TikTok. Each move is full of a passion and intensity that captivates the audience and brings them into the heat of the music. It’s hard to look away when Jojo dances, even if she’s just rehearsing in her dope-ass studio. It’s no wonder that she’s the first one there and the last to leave; she has taken on the responsibility of creating a whole new type of dance that the world was missing. Don’t be surprised when all of the moves in future Dance Moms-esque competitions mimic Siwa, and you start seeing other artists follow in her footsteps.
Siwa is the beginning, middle, and end of pop culture. There will never be another rebrand that can escape the shadow of Jojo’s excellence and achievement. And for all of you haters, remember, “karma’s a bitch,” and you just got owned.