JoJo Siwa pushes back on criticism while debuting dramatic all-black look

Originally appeared on E! Online

JoJo Siwa isn't surprised she has haters.

The "Dance Moms" alum shared that she expected to receive criticism after announcing her next musical era would be for more mature audiences.

"People are afraid of things they don't know," Siwa exclusively told E! News at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in an interview airing April 1. "Things can be scary for people. New things can be very, very scary."

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And though she has received some pushback over her forthcoming musical project, Siwa still counts herself blessed.

"Creating art is such a special, special thing," the 20-year-old continued, "and I'm very lucky that I get to be one of the people in the world that gets to create art."

And that's not the only reason Siwa isn't bothered by her skeptics. After all, the "So You Think You Can Dance" judge said she's received validation on her new chapter from other musicians she admires, including Lil Nas X and Meghan Trainor.

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JoJo Siwa Through the Years

"The way that I'm able to keep going and keep being like, 'Wait, actually what I'm doing is right,'" Siwa explained, "is because some of the most respected people in the world have come up to me and been like, 'What you're doing right now is so right. It is what the world needs, and I'm learning from what you are doing right now.'"

She added, "Support from people like that means the world to me."

As for what to expect from her new music? Siwa gave the world a taste with her iHeartRadio red carpet look, which included a daring cut-out mesh bodysuit, combat boots and dramatic, black eye makeup. In fact, she also revealed that she wore the same outfit in the music video for her single, "KARMA," which drops April 5.

"This is my 'KARMA,' black beast look," Siwa shared. "It's got some rips in it, but you'd never know."

JoJo Siwa is opening up about being part of the LGBTQ+ community. She joined Demi Lovato on her podcast, “4D with Demi Lovato,” and explained how the “Cool For the Summer” singer played a part in her realizing who she truly was. “I think I realized that my very first gay awakening was Jenna Dewan’s performance on ‘Lip Sync Battle,’ I think that was one of them,” she said. “But do you remember your dancer, her name is JoJo Gomez, and you did ‘Cool for the Summer’ together? I remember seeing that and just being a little too interested.”