"I was a wild child, you always knew it / It was a matter of time before I blew it," sings Nickelodeon-alum JoJo Siwa, clad in a sparkly white two-piece set, on "Karma," her latest single. This juxtaposition, a childish aesthetic against brash, "bad girl" lyricism defines the track.
The former Dance Moms star's newest song is a sharp departure from previous works like "Nobody Can Change Me!" and "Bop!"
Siwa has been teasing "Karma" for a while, first posting about the track on Instagram in March. She posted a slew of fuzzy photos with one word captions, when combined they read: "See you in one month. Remember Karma's a bitch." Above this collection of photos are three posts that combine to form a warning label on Siwa's Instagram grid:
"Viewer discretion is advised."
To promote this rebrand, Siwa took to her various social media platforms to promote the single and attempt to convince fans that she's entered a more mature, if not exactly scandalous, era. She recently sported makeup akin to that of the rockstars of the band KISS, which took flak from fans but was Gene Simmons-approved.
The "Karma" video shows Siwa, who is openly queer, surrounded by and dancing with a flock of women. She rotates through different video vixens, a nod to the song's presentation of her as a womanizer.
She invokes the Ten Commandments on the pre-chorus, telling the listener that "Thou shall not lie, thou shall not cheat/Thou shall not get caught or you'll end up just like me." She lets the audience in on her "sins," presenting herself as a lesson to be learned from.
In 2022, Siwa had a highly publicized relationship with TikTok star Avery Cyrus. The two had a messy break up, with Siwa claiming that Cyrus was using her for views. Cyrus posted on TikTok that Siwa left her "for someone else." It's unclear if Siwa's betrayals on "Karma" are referencing her time with Cyrus, but Siwa, who spent 2023 single, told People magazine that she was ready to find love in 2024.
Diving into a flashy chorus, Siwa's voice is submerged under a thick layer of Auto-Tune as she belts: "Karma's a bitch, I should've known better/If I had a wish, I would've never effed around/When I saw the pics of you and her, I fеlt the knife twist/Karma's a bitch, and she's with you right now." Underneath is an explosive chorus of synths and whining electronica. The instrumentation is catchy and dancy -- not unlike Siwa's previous tween-bop work.
She later elaborates that it "still kills me that you hooked up with her/And now the universe is giving me what I deserve." Siwa presents her gripes as self awareness, but there's something hollow in her romantic self-crucifixion.
It's hard to believe Siwa is the villain she tries to paint herself as. In sparkly costumes and bejeweled makeup, Siwa, who is 20, appears more like a child's idea of a bad girl. When compared to the likes of other "wild child" rebrands, like Miley Cyrus on Bangerz or Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" era, Siwa falls short. It's not to say that Siwa needs to strip down to a barely-there aesthetic or sing about drugs and sex; she just needs to be believable. Doing a cartwheel into Dance Moms-esque choreography does not a bad bitch make.
Even as she opens up on the bridge, "This lonely room feels so empty, just me and my regrets," Siwa's vulnerability feels copied-and-pasted.
Despite a shiny new exterior and a chaotic pop track, it's hard to believe that this wild, bad girl image is an authentic Siwa creation and not mere child's play.
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