JoJo Siwa has been facing massive online backlash ever since releasing her new song, Karma.
Particularly under fire were her comments about revolutionising music by introducing a new genre called “gay pop.”
Social media users were quick to point out that JoJo blatantly disregarded the countless trailblazing artists before her, such as Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, and many others.
Amid the backlash, the former Dance Moms star clarified her initial comments in an interview with Sirius XM’s Hits 1 Miami with Mack & Jen.
“So, here’s the thing. Gay pop, right, is a thing that people have done, but it is not an official genre of music,” she noted, further clarifying that though it is a style that has been around for decades, it’s not formally recognised.
Hence, she simply wanted to see a “literal” category for queer pop music, “not just like, ‘Oh, I’m a gay pop artist.’”
Born Joelle Joanie Siwa, JoJo also responded to the online hate she has been receiving ever since entering her new “era.”
“I could say I want world peace, and everyone would be like, ‘How dare you want peace for the world?’” she said, brushing off the backlash.
She continued, “It’s kind of crazy. People ask me all the time, they’re like, ‘Do you feel like you have to be very careful about what you say?’ I’m like, ‘No, because no matter what I say, it’s going down anyways,”