The Evolution Of Jojo Siwa

The Evolution of JoJo Siwa

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re taking a closer look at the life, career and evolution of JoJo Siwa.

In the world of celebrity, and to rehash William Shakespeare, it could be said that the course of true fame never did run smooth. But, every so often a public figure comes along whose ups and downs are seemingly so extreme that the headlines are just so easy to write - for better or worse. JoJo Siwa’s story has earned her millions of followers all over the world. But how did she get to where she is now?

Born Joelle Joanie Siwa on May 19, 2003, in Omaha, Nebraska, JoJo showed an early passion for dance and performance. She practiced from a young age and quickly made a name for herself on the competitive circuit. Her first big break came when, in 2013, she appeared on season two of the reality TV series, “Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition”. On the show, her larger-than-life personality and impressive skills caught the attention of audiences and judges alike. As one of the youngest contestants at the time, Siwa's energy and enthusiasm were infectious, and ultimately she finished fifth in the competition - making it to week ten of twelve.

Soon after, Siwa became a regular in seasons five and six of “Dance Moms”. Again, she showcased her versatility as a dancer, excelling in a variety of styles and consistently delivering standout performances. She quickly became a viewer favorite, gaining a dedicated following of young fans. Her colorful outfits, upbeat persona and positive attitude became something of a trademark. And, it was during her time on “Dance Moms” that Siwa first introduced her instantly must-have bow accessories. They’d become a staple of her brand, much to the reported despair of teachers worldwide - with some schools said to have banned Siwa’s hair accessories from the classroom, as they were deemed to be too distracting.

At this point, JoJo Siwa is on the crest of a wave, but that wave is only going to get bigger. She left “Dance Moms” and signed with Nickelodeon, in 2017. The move opened up a long series of new opportunities - mainly in acting and, most notably, in music. Siwa released her debut single, “Boomerang” in 2016. To say it was a success is something of an understatement. With more than a billion views on YouTube, it catapulted Siwa to new levels. And the song delivered an empowering message of resilience and self-confidence, to boot. Subsequent releases included “Kid in a Candy Store” and “Hold the Drama”, as the JoJo Siwa brand grew again. Skillfully leveraging social media, her fans enjoyed endless updates on her life - from dance tutorials to general vlogs and Q&A sessions.

In 2019, Siwa kickstarted what would turn out to be a massive global tour - known as “D.R.E.A.M. The Tour” - in Phoenix, Arizona. She would go on to travel all across North America, as well as heading out to Europe and Australia, before completing a return leg in the US, in 2022. In 2020, in between tour dates, she was appearing as T-Rex on “The Masked Singer”, and (probably more bizarrely) had even earned a slot as a playable video game character, on “Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2”. Also in 2020, she was listed in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” of that year.

In January 2021, Siwa came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, announcing with a video online in which she danced and lip-synced to Lady Gaga's “Born This Way”. Since then, she’s used her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility, while continuing to kick against discrimination. In Fall 2021, she took part in “Dancing With the Stars” as part of the first same-sex couple in the show’s history, partnered by pro dancer Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy. They reached the series final, and finished runners-up.

On to 2022, and it’s yet another big year for Siwa. She debuted as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance”, completing the switch from reality show performer to one of the panel that those performers need to impress. Perhaps more notably, though, she and her Dance Mom mother, Jessalyn, formed the girl group XOMG Pop for the seventeenth season of “America's Got Talent”. They reached the semi finals before being eliminated, but it’s reportedly here that the first real whispers of controversy surrounding Siwa start to circulate.

Following a story that broke in February 2024, in “Rolling Stone”, there have been allegations made suggesting a poor work environment behind the scenes at XOMG Pop. Among the claims alleged by past members are that their families were made to endure financial pressure to enable their children to perform, that classes at school were skipped, and that the performers themselves were regularly (and harshly) criticized - sometimes even through headsets while performing. Both JoJo and her mother have since come in for criticism. In general, XOMG Pop appeared to channel much of what had made Siwa famous to begin with - lots of fun and lots of energy. But, there have now been doubts cast in terms of the sincerity of that image.

Shortly afterwards, Siwa made headlines again, although this time due to a dramatic change of image. And thanks to a new, comeback single that… divided… fans, to say the least. With “Karma”, in 2024, Siwa released her first official single in four years, and long gone were the days of “Boomerang”. In place of all the bright colors and sparkle was an all new (and much darker) look. Commenting on the rebrand, Siwa herself suggested that no one else of her generation had ever made such a dramatic change. She’s also on record implying that she’s started an all new music genre with what she terms as gay pop. The comments certainly drew attention. Most famously, she was parodied by Chloe Fineman on “Saturday Night Live”. The skit also sparked debate, with some claiming that it was unfair. But, in general, it marked perhaps the first major turn of public opinion against Siwa.

Add into the equation that “Karma” isn’t an original song by (or for) Siwa, and public opinion takes another slide. “Karma” had originally been written for Miley Cyrus, who passed; so singer Brit Smith recorded it in 2012. While that version was also scrapped, an animation studio that worked on the music video uploaded it to Vimeo the following year. In a move that made Siwa’s rebranding even messier, Smith’s version resurfaced when Siwa’s was released… and, by many metrics, it actually outperformed its contentious remake.

It’s certainly been a journey to get to this point. After initially making a name for herself, JoJo Siwa promptly soared to become a tween idol extraordinaire. Breaking the internet, selling out arenas, topping the bill… and making it all seem pretty easy. But fame is fickle, and celebrity comes at a cost. Now, more than ever before, Siwa is under the public glare. Her evolution (until now) has been quite the ride… but can she ride out any of the problems and pitfalls that have (and might) come her way? Will her rebrand work out in the long term? Or has she just plain lost touch with what it was that made her successful to begin with?

As always, let us know in the comments how you see it? And, if you’d like to, shout out your favorite JoJo Siwa moment, while you’re there!