California-born Rebecca Black is perhaps one of the earliest examples of an internet celebrity. Her 2011 debut single ‘Friday’ gained widespread notoriety, achieving over 100 million views on YouTube within its first month of release thanks to its virality – though the critical reception wasn’t so in favour of Black’s performance. For a long time, Black struggled to recapture the same spotlight due to the continual association of her artistry with the controversial single she released at just fourteen years old. She went on to release a string of albums to little impact throughout her teenage years – then, in 2020, something completely unprecedented came about.
Black found herself during the 2020 pandemic, proudly and publicly embracing her queer identity. This self-fulfilment has since trickled down into her artistic process, with each record since resonating with audiences and critics alike. Her 2021 EP Rebecca Black Was Here gained her an entirely new audience who praised her resilience for surviving the cruel repertoire of the music industry for so long, and in many ways this can be viewed as her true debut as the artist she is today.
She followed up with the 2023 album Let Her Burn, which became an instant classic amongst the pop-loving queer community. Tracks such as ‘Destroy Me’ and ‘Crumbs’ received rave reviews from critics, with one IMDB user fittingly reviewing the latter by stating that “Rebecca has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes of Friday, and given birth to one of the best songs of the decade so far”. In a sense, Let Her Burn is the rebirth of Rebecca Black. It proved that she was not only extremely talented, but that she was an artist committed to her craft. To release a wholly solid body of work to widespread acclaim after almost fifteen years in an industry with odds pitted against her is something that fans can hope Black holds in high regard.
Fast forward a year, and Black began releasing droplet singles for her sophomore album SALVATION. Tracks such as ‘Trust!’ and ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ had viral moments and received praise from music fans globally, with many unable to fathom that the artist behind these electro-pop bangers was also behind ‘Friday’. In support of this record, Black spun tracks at a number of DJ sets, most notably her very own Boiler Room set. Black has little to prove to those who give her the time of day, yet she still takes every opportunity to prove her worth as a true pop icon. She embarked recently upon The SALVATION Tour, which saw Black stop at Manchester’s o2 Ritz. Just a few years prior, Black performed across the road to a sold-out crowd at Gorilla, a 500-capacity venue. This time around, Black shifted over 1000 tickets at the O2 Ritz, with the venue having little room to walk around due to the enormous crowd.
The energy amongst the crowd was infectious, and the room erupted into screams of excitement as the intro began to play. Black made the choice to not perform her once career-defining hit ‘Friday’ during this set, instead using elements of it as her intro. This was an insanely powerful testament to her character, almost a homage to the past – as if this is her way of saying ‘I don’t need you anymore’.
Black’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. The pop-star and her back-up dancers used up every inch of the O2 Ritz stage during an hour of non-stop entertainment. Her ability to hit every single move of the choreography whilst not missing a single note was astounding. As the set reached her cult classic ‘Crumbs’, Black took a moment to speak to the crowd. “I want you to take everything bad anyone has ever said about you, and break it into crumbs”. This form of mental emancipation was a true depiction of what queer joy is all about – giving yourself the power to define yourself, rather than have others do it for you. Black’s further discussion on the importance of the “intuition and power of myself” seemed to resonate with the crowd, as did her every move. She was met with cheers of joy and clapping ovations after every single song – notably receiving a 2-minute round of applause towards the end of the set which rendered her speechless. “You have no idea how many times I was told that this would never be possible. Thank you so much”.
Unlike most gigs, not a single audience member had their attention divided by the bar, conversations or the smoking area during slow songs and intervals. Black had the audience in a complete trance, with multiple crowd interactions and costume changes leaving her audience in fear of missing a single track, transfixed entirely on her resilience and power. Black is an artist 15 years into her career with little left to prove, but don’t let that fool you – she has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.
