Rebecca Black Felt 'Envious' of JoJo Siwa's 'Outwardly Delusional' Nature and Decided to Be More 'Unafraid' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Rebecca Black.Photo:Ella Margolin

Ella Margolin

Rebecca Blackis entering a new era with confidence.

Nearly 15 years after she debuted with theiconic viral hit “Friday,“the 27-year-old pop star underwent quite a bit of self-reflection to craft her bombastic new project,Salvation, released Feb. 27.

Rebecca Black.Davis Bates

Davis Bates

This time around, Black tells PEOPLE, “I just knew that I wanted to really focus on creating something that felt really distinct and aligned within itself.”

Salvationtransports listeners to a nightclub dance floor, and tracks like “American Doll” and “Sugar Water Cyanide” will seamlessly fit playlists of songs fromCharli xcx’sBrat, though Black’s project was made long before “brat summer” was a thing.

“It’s funny,” she says. “Sometimes I feel like there’s a general cultural consciousness no one really understands until all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy you were doing that because I feel that too.'”

“I have put so much pressure on myself over the years as a young woman in music, as someone who’s been a kid in the industry and strive to be taken seriously. I have kept it together,” she explains, noting that she felt an internal shift about “a year and a half ago.”

“Things were starting to just come out in me, in my emotions and in nights out where I was like, ‘Something’s repressed. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m going back to therapy,'” adds Black. “It became very obvious my body was looking for freedom and derangement.”

Rebecca Black and JoJo Siwa.Rebecca Black/X

Rebecca Black/X

At that point, she began thinking about another queer-identifying artist who’s received similarly polarizing internet feedback as Black did with “Friday.”

“I was looking at people likeJoJo f—ing Siwawho are, and I mean this as a compliment, so outwardly delusional. I was so envious of that and of the freedom of saying what was on your mind and being a version of yourself that maybe people don’t understand,” she says of the “Karma” singer. “I found that so inspiring, honestly.”

source: people.com