Apr 9
Tegan and Sara Silently Exasperated after JoJo Siwa Says She Wants to Invent 'Gay Pop' – Gay Twitter Weighs In
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Gay pop sister act Tegan and Sara said it all with a look in their TikTok response to JoJo Siwa declaring that she wants to create "a new genre of music" that many have already contributed to.
"For the past month, Siwa, who came out as queer in 2021, has been teasing new music and her transition into adult pop stardom," HuffPost noted, before pointing out that the adult content in Siwa's new single, "Karma," and its video include the lyric "Karma's a bitch," as well as visuals of Siwa "grinding on top of other women, fully declaring a new phase of her life and career."
That "new phase" includes revealing costumes and a makeup job reminiscent of the glam rock act Kiss, which dates back to the 1970s.
HuffPost recalled that in a recent interview with Billboard Magazine, Siwa related expressing a wish to "start a new genre of music," and explained her idea as creating a new category she'd call "gay pop."
@billboard "I am so excited to bring this version of pop music back." 💥 To celebrate the release of "Karma," @JoJo Siwa joins #BillboardNews to discuss her new era and drastic rebrand, creating the new "gay pop" genre, her love of #MileyCyrus & #BillieEilish and more. Watch the full sit-down interview at Billboard.com. #karma #jojosiwa #interview #popmusic ♬ original sound - billboard
Enter Tegan and Sarah - gay pop icons - with their wordless (but unmistakeable) skepticism at this remark. The sisters posted a clip of Siwa's comment, then cut to a video of themselves staring at the camera with fed-up expressions and head shakes.
@teganandsara #stitch with @billboard ♬ original sound - Tegan and Sara
Fans flooded social media with the wealth of commentary that the sisters conveyed in a look.
"Wait until she hears about David Bowie," one person responded to the sisters' post.
"Are you new here" a second person posted in the comments.
"Jojo is showing her age," a third posted, going on to add that "gay pop has been around for quite a while now. We have generations of it because of @Tegan and Sara".
The backlash spilled over from TikTok into other social media platforms. On X (formerly Twitter) one user took aim at Siwa for being "so disrespectful and dismissive of every queer person in music who came before her".
Responding to that post, another set out to list "other LGBTQ+ musicians including Hayley Kiyoko, Dove Cameron, Frank Ocean, RuPaul, Kali Uchis, Ayesha Erotica, Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, David Bowie, Boy George, Tegan and Sara and girl in red."
Noted another: "Even Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, was a gay icon until his death in 1991, Lady Gaga was a queer icon herself, she made Born This Way in 2011, George Michael was big in the 80s, Troye Sivan also made music and so is Reneé Rapp."
Have a look at what many others are saying:
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
