JoJo Siwa is answering months of online chatter the way she knows best: with a pop hook and a wink. Her new track, Raspy, turns the internet’s loudest opinions about her voice, image, and past into punchlines, reframing criticism as fuel for a self-aware, upbeat clapback.
Siwa first teased the song on August 1, noting the reaction to her recent cover of Bette Davis Eyes and hinting that a new track was on the way. Raspy leans directly into that discourse. She opens by nodding to her “Bette Davis” moment and her signature gravelly tone, then flips it into a refrain that makes “raspy” the song’s central hook. It’s a savvy rebrand: what some call a flaw becomes the chorus you can’t forget.
Across the verses, Siwa speed-runs a reel of her most viral moments and memes. She references her Dance Moms era (complete with the iconic “Have you learned nothing?” line), jokes about trying to sing Olivia Rodrigo’s Traitor in her car, riffs on the “I’m just a baby” TikTok sound, and even threads in a Slim Shady nod. She pokes fun at her inability to roll her R’s while flexing about a Rolls-Royce, admits she was on The Masked Singer and not The Voice, and pointedly says she hears the noise but chooses happiness anyway. There’s a cheeky bar about “karma” and “traitor,” plus a line about bringing songs whether or not people claim to want them—clear signs she’s fully in on the joke and comfortable steering the narrative.
The bridge doubles down on the bit. She mock-checks in about her throat, shrugs off the memes, and signs off with a laugh and a “take five,” reinforcing that the entire track is designed to defuse criticism with humor. It’s a direct, disarming strategy: acknowledge everything, apologize for nothing, and make it catchy.
Context matters here. Siwa’s recent cover of Kim Carnes’s Bette Davis Eyes drew mixed reactions, including a response from Carnes emphasizing authenticity. Raspy answers that conversation without getting defensive, essentially saying that owning your quirks is its own kind of authenticity. Against a backdrop of headlines about her relationship with Chris Hughes and debate around tour VIP packages, the song suggests she’s paying attention—but she’ll set the tone on her own terms.
Why it works:
– Self-awareness turns critiques into content. By chanting “raspy,” she removes the sting and makes it a brand.
– She bridges eras, from child star to adult performer, by embracing rather than escaping her past.
– The meme cataloging invites fans to participate, priming the song for TikTok clips and live call-and-response moments.
Additional comments and outlook:
– Expect Raspy to thrive in short-form video: the chant-like chorus and quotable lines are built for edits and dances.
– Live, the bit about “taking five” and checking on her voice is a natural crowd-pleaser and a way to humanize the performance.
– As a career move, this is a confident pivot. Leaning into humor and candor often buys goodwill and keeps the focus on the music rather than the noise around it.
Summary:
JoJo Siwa’s Raspy is a cheeky, upbeat clapback that turns her most viral critiques—especially about her voice—into the hook. Teased on August 1 after the conversation around her Bette Davis Eyes cover, the track stitches together references from her Dance Moms past to recent memes, ultimately reframing scrutiny as a playful, self-owned narrative. It’s a positive, savvy step in her ongoing reinvention—and it sounds like she’s having fun doing it.