Words by Alfie Chase
In our attention economy, JoJo Siwa is the richest person alive. She is a testament to relevancy, brand image, and how cringe can be a currency in fame. JoJo has been a part of the cultural zeitgeist since she was seven years old, beginning her rise to fame in TLC’s Dance Moms. She captivated audiences with her dance skills as well as her cultivated “JoJo-with-a-bow-bow” persona.
While still on Dance Moms, JoJo Siwa released ‘Boomerang’ as her first song, which has since amassed over a billion views on YouTube. The song was designed to be an uplifting and cheerful Kidz Bop-style song about not letting haters get to you. This was the beginning of her relevancy; she had broken away from her reality TV persona to become a YouTube and music star. Even though ‘Boomerang’ was endlessly mocked online, this proved to push her further into the minds of her haters and fans alike.
After a few more years producing children’s pop music and leaving Dance Moms, JoJo Siwa came out as queer, posting a picture of herself wearing a t-shirt reading “best gay cousin ever” (we can all remember where we were at this moment).
From this moment onwards, Siwa’s music shifted. She proclaimed herself the “inventor of gay pop” and released her hit song ’Karma’, which centres around being caught cheating and states that she is now a “bad girl who does bad things”, even while wearing glittered leotards.
Since the release of this song, it seems as if every week there is another viral JoJo Siwa quote or moment. From the “dream guest on my podcast” incident to her time on Celebrity Big Brother, which led to her leaving her girlfriend after the show to enter a relationship with Love Island star Chris Hughes, Siwa has remained relevant in the public eye, continuously talked about by her fans and by antagonising social media commentators.
All this has meant that, while her fellow Dance Moms castmates attend university and keep dancing on the side, JoJo Siwa is completing a European tour. It has to be handed to her: this woman can perform.
From the second she was on the stage, she and her four dancers did not break for a second, making for a show filled with high-energy dancing, drum solos, and fans screaming Siwa’s name the entire set. Siwa frequently made self-referential jokes, and performed her song ‘Raspy’ which is about her most viral and mocked moments.
After a drum solo and dance break, Siwa slowed it down and performed a standalone cover of ‘Betty Davis Eyes’. She changed the lyrics for the last chorus, where instead she sings “Chris Hughes’s eyes”, sending the crowd into a frenzy by referencing her viral love affair. The crowd was composed of all ages: when she stopped to ask the age range, the audience was informed that there were people from ages six to 67, truly showing that her relevance is all-encompassing. As queer students, dolled up women, parents, and six-year-olds danced along to her hits, it became clear that this woman is truly a marketing success.
With Siwa’s mother (who is also one of her managers) standing to the side and nodding to her as she announces the release of a new song, comes reflection on the sad life of a child star.
JoJo Siwa has been endlessly mocked online for her cringeworthy persona and has already been on four tours at the age of 22, the first one beginning when she was just sixteen. So, is this persona of “let the haters hate” in the name of money and rising above really the truth, or does Siwa ever disparage her life in the continual limelight? From the look of pure joy and slight egotism on her face as fans of all ages chanted for her, it’s doubtful she plans on pulling back any time soon: she is collecting all our money, be that from hate or adoration.
