As someone who occasionally writes on the side, it can be difficult for me to find something in pop culture I am passionate enough about to write an opinion on; this is not one of those days. Jojo Siwa is known by some as the blonde, spunky girl from the hit reality television show “Dance Moms,” and others as the kids’ pop musician behind the song “Boomerang” (will she really come back like a boomerang?). Now, Siwa is known for her viral song “Karma,” which is her attempt at having a shocking, Miley Cyrus “Bangerz” era level rebrand–hence the first line of the song, poetically stating “I was a bad girl, I did some bad things.”

The video starts with a far away shot of a CGI deserted tropical island, which follows up with Jojo Siwa herself emerging out of the water in makeup adjacent to what the members of KISS wore and covered in what appears to be some cross between a kid’s gymnastics leotard and a moldy fish (look it up, trust me). Siwa then saunters onto the beach in search of her next victim.

With the jarring combination of acrobatic choreography and aggressive humping of the poor woman acting as Siwa’s love interest, this music video left a bad taste in my mouth. Other viewers seemed to agree that this video was cringy in an icky way, rather than a slay way. One of my favorite comments on the video was written by youtube user @irisluvre, stating “I was a bald girl, I tried some bad wigs.” Now, the thought has definitely crossed my mind that to go viral by being cringy is the start to a successful rebrand; the music video to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” definitely garnered a certain amount of reactions and hate during a time where naked women in music videos was a shocking thing to see. The hate has definitely decreased with time, as the “Bangerz” era is now seen as iconic to many Gen Z-ers and pop culture fans alike. However, the difference between “Wrecking Ball” and “Karma” is that “Wrecking Ball” was actually a good song and “Karma” isn’t. 

This rebrand was unsuccessful for multiple reasons: for one, in order to be seen as a “bad girl” you have to be caught doing something scandalous–Siwa attempted this by not-so-discreetly hiring paparazzi to stand outside of an adult store and photograph her walking out the door with bags in her hands and an 18+ sign conveniently placed directly in frame with her. It was obviously staged and, in the year of 2024, an of-age adult purchasing from an adult store is not noteworthy enough for the general public to care about. Secondly, to successfully rebrand, you have to be willing to take risks beyond the image you’ve presented before. This aspect of the rebrand was arguably (and in my opinion) what Siwa failed at the most. Despite looking like a moldy sea monster, Siwa still sported the high ponytail, rhinestones, and clothing style most people know her for, just in a black/silver color scheme. With the stylistic similarities to “Boomerang” era Jojo, people can’t separate this Jojo from the Jojo that made upbeat music for kids. Now, if I were Jojo Siwa’s PR manager, I would have had her ditch the high ponytail and the sparkles (and ANYTHING that resembles a leotard) and get caught at a party doing meth or something. Like, if you want to have a Miley “Bangerz” moment, don’t half-ass it, go full send! Delete social media! Shave your head! Join the Church of Scientology! Overall, the reason Jojo Siwa’s “Karma” failed its purpose came down to two main factors: she tried too hard to be seen as “scandalous,” but also didn’t go far enough. Despite Karma’s lyrics attesting to Siwa being a “bad girl,” the electronic instrumental made it sound not all that different from the music she made for kids–additionally, the choreography came off as less mature and sensual, and more of what a child would think “scandalous” looks like. All in all, I deduce that we will not be seeing “Karma” at the Grammys, as “Karma” is on a one-way trip to Floptown, USA.