I have seen video a confusing number of times considering that I’ve never looked for it on purpose. A young woman driving a car sings Olivia Rodrigon Traitor -song, tries to reach the highest note and punches out a crackling sound with a red face.
The woman is an American social media personality Jojo Siwawho posted his unedited song videos to his followers.
Jojo aka Joelle Joanie Siwa is originally known from the American reality TV show Dance Momsista (in Finnish Supermoms of dance), which followed the lives of young dancers and their mothers in the competitive entertainment world. He has appeared as a child and teenage star in other programs and, among other things, founded a clothing brand that bears his name.
Siwa has grown up on social media and has over 45 million followers on Tiktok. Last April, he was listed among the ten most followed tiktokers in the United States.
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It is easier to sell a new product to a ready audience.
This year Siwa, 21, released her first adult single and Tiktok went crazy.
Karmain the music video of the song, the radiant and childish energy has changed to a flirtatious and serious style. The modified sound heard on the single can hardly be connected to previous song videos.
Tiktokers saw their opportunity and started making parody videos. They make fun of Siwa’s make-up, tone of voice, choreography of the music video and interview clips given by the artist, and for example the training video filmed in the car has been made into many different versions.
However, the biggest uproar was caused by the fact that Siwa’s single was revealed to be more than ten years old and written for another artist. He was accused of stealing.
Songs recycling, selling and buying is commonplace in the music business. Still, it is Siwa who is now demanding authenticity. Because he is known specifically as a social media personality, the public sets stricter criteria for him than many other pop stars.
Siwa breaks the illusion that often surrounds pop couples.
Using Autotune to correct the pitch of a song is an old thing. And listeners don’t usually expect pop stars to dig their songs out of their own desk drawers. Especially stars who make commercial party music.
There are countless videos on Tiktok with search terms such as “Jojo Siwa’s embarrassing moment”, “Jojo Siwa memes” and “Jojo Siwa’s stolen song”. Videos have millions of likes at best.
Now Siwa is telling his followers that he doesn’t write his own songs.
Social media presence is starting to be a prerequisite for commercial breakthroughs for many artists. It is easier to sell a new product to a ready audience.
For example, Benjamin, who competed in the 2023 New Music Competition, lived Benjamin Peltonen was known for Instagram before her singing career. He, too, released modest song videos that quietly left the way of the first songs produced. Now he is known for his many hits.
Pop culture history contains numerous artists who compensated for their lack of singing skills with other qualities.
Siwa has behind it a large machinery and years of publicity. At the age of 17, he was selected for Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people.
Siwa has money and fame, and music is only part of his stardom. Perhaps the awkward choreography in the music video is part of a marketing strategy.
He is a brand, and his music is a product. It is made to be consumed.
Now some people are already saying in their Tiktok videos that hate has turned into love. Maybe the mockery will finally rain directly on Siwa’s lair.