This past month, TikTok has gone crazy over a new song released by Jojo Siwa called “Karma”. People are not liking it for a multitude of reasons. This was Jojo’s attempt at changing who she is from an innocent kid to showing a darker side, but the execution was not done properly, and people are only cringing at her.
Another reason people are not liking the song is because the dance moves that go with it. Jojo is being made fun of for her choreography especially since she used to be a dancer.
She also has suffered from backlash when she considered this song the start of gay pop. People mentioned other artists that came before Jojo.
Lastly, according to some, Jojo implied that she wrote “Karma”. Soon after its release, news came out about the song. Jojo did not write it. It was originally written for Miley Cyrus, and when she turned it down, it was offered to Brit Smith. She sang it and made a music video but ultimately decided to turn it down. Now, it has been leaked and released, so people are comparing the songs. The general consensus is that Brit Smith’s version is better which is proven by how much more her song has charted than Jojo’s. Let’s look over both artistic choices for the songs.
Most people would agree that Jojo’s version is cringy. This comes out in forms of dance and storytelling choices. The music video consists of Jojo dancing around with women on a boat, falling into the ocean, and crawling onto an island to finish up with more dancing. Between dancing on the boat and dancing on the island, her outfit changes from white clothing to dark clothing. This resembles what Jojo wants us to see in her music: a rebirth from innocent to dark. It’s an obvious but effective way to show this, but people might have been too focused on the dancing and the outfit change to notice this. When it comes to her singing, Jojo decided to make this song almost robotic, filled with soft, slow singing.
Brit Smith’s music video gives better context to the song. The song is about cheating in a relationship, and although Jojo had some context for it, the prechorus falls flat compared to Brit’s version lyrically. The lyrics in the prechorus use language someone would use in a Shakespeare play or in a church saying, “Thou shall not lie” and so on. In the Brit’s music video, it is clear that she is confessing her sins while nothing alludes to that in Jojo’s. This music video seems to have less of a budget although that makes sense based on where the singers are during these filmings of music videos. Brit was just starting out while Jojo has been in the entertainment industry for a majority of her life.
Brit’s version has a more 2010 sound since it was recorded around that time. It is more pop-sounding than robotic but snappier. It is faster than Jojo’s as well. It reminds me of Kesha or Lady Gaga’s sound back in the day. The only difference between the versions lyrically is that Jojo says, “I would’ve never effed around” while Brit says, “I would’ve never messed around”. The lyric difference has caused some to input their thoughts. I think this lyric change, the dance, the outfit switch, and the things she has said in interviews have all been a sign that Jojo is trying too hard.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer to which version is better as the perspective on these versions are subjective.