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Two versions of a song written by American record production duo Rock Mafia and Desmond Child were released in April 2024. The first version, "Karma", was released as a single by American singer JoJo Siwa on April 5. Following the release of Siwa's song, an old music video from 2012 for the song "Karma's a Bitch" by American singer Brit Smith, with additional production by Timbaland, began to go viral on social media, which gained her media attention and prompted her to release the song as a single on April 14. ^[1]

Musically, the song is a dance-pop and EDM track about a woman who regrets being unfaithful to her partner, seeing it as karma when they move on from her to find someone new. The song was originally written for Miley Cyrus' album Can't Be Tamed. ^[2] Cyrus allegedly recorded the song "Karma's a Bitch", but it was scrapped due to her contract with Disney at the time. ^{[3] [4]} Once she turned it down, it was handed to Brit Smith.

JoJo Siwa version

"Karma"
Single by JoJo Siwa
Released	April 5, 2024 (2024-04-05)
Genre	Dance-pop EDM
Length	3:07
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Antonina Armato Desmond Child Tim James
Producer(s)	Rock Mafia DJ White Shadow
JoJo Siwa singles chronology
"Nonstop" (2020) "Karma" (2024)
Music video
"Karma" on YouTube

"Karma" is a song by American singer JoJo Siwa. It was released through Columbia Records on April 5, 2024, as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album. Siwa teased the song and its music video on social media prior to its release, saying she wanted to rebrand herself after performing for 11 years with a child-friendly image. The song and its accompanying music video were met with universally negative reviews from critics and social media users.

Background and release

JoJo Siwa began her career as a child star on the reality TV series Dance Moms, where she appeared from the show's fifth season to its eighth, and later found fame through her YouTube channel and her collaborations with Nickelodeon, around the time she released songs such as " Boomerang". ^[6] She came out as queer in January 2021 and dated two women in 2022. ^[7]

On March 12, 2024, Siwa teased "Karma" with a viewer discretion warning on social media, stating that it was "not made for children" and "may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers". She posted the title of "Karma" on social media on March 18, 2024 along with a snippet of the song, ^[8] which received negative publicity.^{[ citation needed]} Siwa stated that the Internet had "taken [her] through the frickin' wringer" while teasing the song, ^[9] but was unfazed, stating that she "made the art she wanted to", happy to "bring this version of pop music back".

Siwa appeared at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in a black mesh bodysuit, a fauxhawk, and makeup inspired by American rock band Kiss, where she compared her rebrand to that of Miley Cyrus in 2013 during the release of her album Bangerz. ^{[6] [10]} Charlie Duncan of PinkNews described it as a "fairly jarring rebrand", while Sydney Brasil of Exclaim! opined that "she looks the same as she once did, just in darker colours". ^{[11] [12]} The look became an internet meme. ^[13] Siwa called "Karma" her "first breakout adult moment" after performing for 11 years with a child-friendly image. The song was released as a single on April 5, 2024. ^[5]

Composition

"Karma" is an upbeat dance-pop ^[6] and EDM song, ^[14] its lyrics about a protagonist regretting having cheated on her significant other after getting caught. ^{[10] [15]} Strings accompany Siwa throughout the song, specifically at its beginning. In its chorus, she sings, "Karma's a bitch, I should've known better/If I had a wish, I would've never effed around". ^[6]

Reception

"Karma" was panned by music critics, criticizing the song and Siwa's reinvention of her brand and aesthetic. ^[14] Ivan Guzman, writing for Paper, called the song "raucous" and "early 2010s-esque", while drag queen Aquaria compared the song to "early-2010s Jeffree Star". ^[14] For Exclaim!, Sydney Brasil labelled the song as "poorly produced" with "no real hook" and wrote that Siwa did not seem fully committed to her "new ['bad girl'] persona". ^[12] Jason P. Frank of Vulture wrote that "Karma" had "a thumping, uninspired beat" and "faux-edgy lyrics [...] performed with all the conviction of the elementary-age students who used to be her fans". ^[15]

Criticism of the song "Karma" has been attributed to wider societal issues by some, with media and psychology experts such as Pamela Rutledge emphasizing the negative impact of online anonymity, stating, "because the internet offers some degree of anonymity, there’s a 'feel and post' cycle that occurs with little regard for its effect on others". ^[16]

Despite the controversy, Siwa broke the record for the largest crowd at Miami Beach Pride in history with her performance of Karma, with a turnout of 55,000 people. ^{[17] [18]}

Music video

The music video for "Karma", filmed in March 2024, was directed by Siwa and Marc Klasfeld, with choreography by Richy Jackson. ^{[5] [19]} Siwa pitched the concept and choreography for the music video a year before its release. It stars Alexis Warr, the winner of So You Think You Can Dance's 17th season, on which Siwa was a judge. The music video contains lesbian themes throughout. ^[7]

In the video, Siwa first appears in the same black bodysuit and makeup as at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. She is shown on a desert island, caressing another woman who is in a red sparkly bodysuit. She is then on a boat, where she is shown in a love triangle between the woman from the island and another woman, played by Warr, before again appearing on the island, where she humps the first woman. ^[10]

The video was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.^{[ citation needed]} Hannah Dailey of Billboard called the video "truly wild" and wrote that it "marks an extreme departure from [her] kid-friendly persona". ^[6] As of April 29, 2024, the video has amassed over 31 million views on YouTube.

Brit Smith version

"Karma's a Bitch"
Single by Brit Smith
Released	April 14, 2024
Recorded	2012
Genre	Dance-pop electropop
Length	3:45
Label	Brit Smith
Songwriter(s)	Rock Mafia Desmond Child
Producer(s)	Rock Mafia Timbaland
Brit Smith singles chronology
"Provocative (hiDhi)" (2013) "Karma's a Bitch" (2024)
Music video
"Karma's a Bitch" on Vimeo

"Karma's a Bitch" is a song by American singer Brit Smith. It was produced by Rock Mafia and Timbaland in 2012, but was eventually scrapped. It was released independently on April 14, 2024. ^[20] The song garnered attention on TikTok before its official release after the then-unreleased song and music video originally uploaded in 2012 and to Vimeo on March 20, 2013 ^[21] went viral on TikTok, thanks to JoJo Siwa's 2024 recording. ^[22]

Background

Smith originally recorded the song in 2012 as her debut single. However, label officials encouraged her to release the song "Provocative" instead in 2013. After the song underperformed, Smith left the music industry. ^{[2] [23] [20]} When asked about Brit Smith's version after receiving criticism online over "stealing" the song, Siwa stated that she "didn't steal anything" as "people write songs and [....] don't do anything with them", making sense for another artist "a few years later". She also said that she "[doesn't] know who Brit Smith is". ^{[22] [20]} Smith expressed her amazement at her version going viral, stating she was shocked that her song has now "got a new life, which is amazing". ^[22] Smith later defended Siwa on her TikTok account, stating that Siwa "did not steal" Karma, and "was totally in the right" in regards to recording her version, adding that Siwa had "done nothing wrong". ^[24]

Composition

Smith's version of the song was originally produced by Rock Mafia for the Miley Cyrus album Can't Be Tamed (2010). After Cyrus passed on it, Smith recorded the song to her liking. She then added more production to the song with Timbaland who also appeared in the song's music video. ^{[25] [26]}

Music video

The music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld, who also directed the video for Siwa's version. The shots of Smith and accompanying individuals were shot prior and the graphics were later added by Super77, an animation and design studio located in Columbus, Ohio. It features Smith at a church, club and in her bedroom as she attempts to get a man back after she is caught cheating. ^[25] Although the original video was uploaded by Super77 as part of their portfolio to Vimeo on March 20, 2013 (a year after the video is said to be scrapped), a re-upload of the music video led to a viral reaction across social media platforms such as TikTok.

Critical reception

Smith's version of "Karma" garnered a positive reception online compared to Siwa's version, which was professionally released first. Smith's version received praise for its "banging hook" and production by Timbaland. ^[27]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. ^[28] The song peaked at number 8 on the US iTunes Pop Charts, surpassing Siwa's which peaked at 89. ^[20] The single peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart and peaked at number 18 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. ^{[29] [30]}

Charts

References