Topline
Former “Dance Moms” and Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa’s pivot to a more mature image with her single “Karma” has sparked a wild series of events on social media—now including a beef with controversial child star Lil Tay, who is attacking Siwa on social media for not writing her single.
JoJo Siwa released her single "Karma" on April 5. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for ... [+]
Key Facts
Lil Tay, the 16-year-old controversial singer and rapper who rose to fame at just 10 years old for provocative social media antics, started taking shots at JoJo Siwa after she responded to a post on X that compared the two, slamming Siwa in a viral insult liked more than 170,000 times for not writing her new single “Karma.”
Lil Tay cited her own song, “Sucker 4 Green,” as a song she wrote with her brother while criticizing Siwa for purchasing the rights to “Karma,” which was written more than a decade ago by the production duo Rock Mafia for other artists.
Siwa has not directly responded to Lil Tay, but screenshots circulated on social media alleging that Siwa liked, and later unliked, a post on X that referred to Lil Tay as a “meme, and a pathetic one at that.”
Lil Tay dared Siwa in a post on X that if she has something to say, “say it & this time DON’T delete your comment or unlike shady tweets,” alongside further insults comparing her to a cheap version of Madonna.
Key Background
Siwa’s single “Karma,” released April 5, has attracted significant social media attention thanks to a negative response from critics and social media users for Siwa’s rebrand to a more adult-focused image, as well as several controversies. The largely unknown singer Brit Smith—who originally recorded “Karma” in 2012—released her own version of the song Monday. Smith’s version of “Karma,” including clips from the unreleased video starring Timbaland, who also produced Smith’s recording of the song, went viral on TikTok last week. Smith told PageSix in an interview last weekend that she originally wanted “Karma” to be her debut single, but her label Interscope Records pushed for her to release “Provocative” featuring will.i.am instead, which was released in 2013 alongside a music video starring Betty White. Smith’s decision to release her version of “Karma” just days after Siwa brought attention to her single: Smith’s version of “Karma” is No. 6 on the U.S. iTunes chart as of Wednesday morning, while Siwa’s version ranks outside the top 200. Smith thanked supporters in a TikTok video posted Tuesday evening, which has garnered more than 2 million likes. Siwa also stirred controversy for telling Billboard she wants to create the “gay pop” genre—but after pushback from LGBTQ publications and the gay pop duo Tegan and Sara, Siwa clarified she knows she didn’t invent “gay pop” and instead wants to help make it bigger.
Tangent
Lil Tay rose to fame in 2018 at just 10 years old for her provocative social media posts, in which she would frequently brag about having a wealthy lifestyle and “haters.” Her image and use of profanity have attracted controversy because she is a minor. The complicity of her family has been scrutinized: A 2018 article in The Atlantic cited footage that appears to show her brother coaching her on what to say, and a source who said they worked with Lil Tay told The Atlantic her brother would shout at Lil Tay until she cried. After years of social media inactivity, Lil Tay resurfaced in 2023 when a statement posted to her Instagram account claimed she had died—but her family told TMZ the next day she was alive and her account had been compromised.
Further Reading
Artist Who Recorded JoJo Siwa’s ‘Karma’ A Decade Ago Goes Viral—And Outcharts Siwa On iTunes (Forbes)
No, JoJo Siwa Does Not Think She Invented ‘Gay Pop’ — But She Would Like to Be the ‘CMO’ (Billboard)
JoJo Siwa Grows Up (Or tries to.) (New York Times)
