JoJo Siwa Seriously Needs To Get A Grip

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Let’s talk about rising pop star JoJo Siwa and the “gay pop” genre she’s apparently looking to reinvent.

In a recent Billboard interview, the “Dance Moms” alum shared that when she first signed a deal with Columbia Records, she’d told executives that she wanted to make a “new genre” called gay pop. In her words, it would be like K-pop, but gay pop.

“It’s the songs like ‘Applause’ by Lady Gaga. It’s the ‘On My Own’ [by] Miley Cyrus,” the former child star explained. “It’s that world of music, where it’s not necessarily ‘pop.’”

The backlash was swift. Two people in particular, legendary gay pop duo Tegan and Sara, silently roasted Siwa in a TikTok video posted Sunday.

People on X also chimed in to express their thoughts on Siwa’s comments.

Siwa, who is only 20 years old, is known for her various antics. She became famous by singing kids music and plastering her face on merch — as well as the car that she drives around Los Angeles. She’s been rebranding herself and embracing her queer identity with her new music, but the “gay pop” comment was totally out of line.

As much as I love that Gen Zers add their own spin to things, let’s not erase what those before you have done — and gay pop is obviously nothing new. Needless to say, rising pop stars may want to have a slice of humble pie and acknowledge the work of musical pioneers instead of claiming to create a new genre that’s existed for decades.

Siwa’s comments were a rookie mistake — who among us didn’t say outlandish things when we were young? — but hopefully she’ll learn. She did, at least, walk back her remarks in a TMZ video.

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