JoJo Siwa has set the record straight on her controversial “gay pop” comments.
On 5 April, the former Dance Moms star released her latest single, ‘Karma,’ which has been dubbed as her transition from child star to adult pop artist.
While many of her dedicated fans have embraced the song, its rollout has been marred by controversy.
On the release day of ‘Karma’, Siwa rubbed LGBTQIA+ music listeners the wrong way when she opened up about the type of music she’s making.
“When I first signed with Columbia [Records], I said I wanted to start a new genre of music,” the openly gay talent told Billboard News.
“They said, ‘What do you mean?’ and I said, ‘It’s called “gay pop”.’ It’s like K-Pop, but it’s gay pop.’ Theres a style of dance called jazz funk. It’s jazz, it’s hip-hop, they have a baby, it’s called jazz-funk.
“You can wear sneakers or you can wear jazz shoes. It’s kind of in between. I feel like that is this world of music.”
Towards the end of her statement, Siwa went on to say that her music wouldn’t be giving Katy Perry ‘California Girls’ but more Lady Gaga ‘Judas’.
It didn’t take long for the former reality star’s comments to go viral on social media.
“I am so excited to bring this version of pop music back.” 💥
To celebrate the release of “Karma,” @itsjojosiwa joins #BillboardNews to discuss her new era, creating the new “gay pop” genre, her love of Miley Cyrus & Billie Eilish and more. pic.twitter.com/0iKZDSeNVh
— billboard (@billboard) April 5, 2024
One person on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “JoJo Siwa saying she wants to bring back gay pop, but like when did it leave.”
Another user joked: “Jojo Siwa inventing gay pop, but ‘A Little Bit Alexis’ already existed????”
Even queer icons Tegan and Sara joined in on the lighthearted commentary by posting a TikTok of them silently reacting to Siwa’s interview.
However, the ‘Closer’ artists did make it clear that their video was all in good fun, with their caption stating, “These gay pop stars love JoJo.”
A few days after her viral interview, Siwa clarified her comments during an impromptu chat with TMZ.
While the 20-year-old talent expressed shock over the online discourse, she admitted that other artists like Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Betty Who were some of the first artists to pave the way for LGBTQIA+ inclusive pop music.
“I just want to make it more clear that gay pop is a genre. You have pop, you have rock, you have country, and you have gay pop,” she explained.
“I’m definitely not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece in making it bigger than it already is. I want to bring more attention to it. I’m not the creator, I’m not the president, but I might be the CEO or the CMO.”
You can watch Siwa’s music video for ‘Karma’ here or below.
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