Why Fans Think JoJo Siwa's New Single 'Karma' Is a Scrapped Miley Cyrus Demo

Siwa's new single "Karma," which she released on Friday, April 5, is her first foray in what she says is "gay pop"

JoJo Siwa, Miley Cyrus
JoJo Siwa attends the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in April 2024 in Los Angeles; Miley Cyrus attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards in February 2024 in Los Angeles. Photo:

Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty, Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Fans think JoJo Siwa new single might actually have belonged to Miley Cyrus first.

On Friday, April 5, the singer/dancer, 20, released her new single "Karma," which not only signaled a new era for her musically, but style-wise, as the music video for the track showcased her new "bad girl" look. Siwa was seen sporting a rocker rhinestone outfit and black KISS-like makeup.

After the release of "Karma," fans began seeing parallels between Siwa and Cyrus' transition away from child stardom.

Miley Cyrus performs part of her Bangerz Tour
Miley Cyrus performs part of her 'Bangerz' Tour in February 2014 in Oakland.

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty

Now, fans are speculating there might actually be a connection between the artists as they believe "Karma" may have been a 2011 demo from the Hannah Montana actress.

A TikTok user unearthed tweets from 2012 between Rock Mafia and Timbaland that hinted at them collaborating on a track called "Karma" with Cyrus.

The user then showed followers that Rock Mafia are listed as producers and writers of Siwa's single, as well as with Antonia Armato, who wrote songs for Disney stars including Cyrus and Selena Gomez, per Genius.

They then speculate that the "Flowers" hitmaker never dropped "Karma" because the lyrics featured the word "bitch," which Disney would have frowned upon at the time.

It wouldn't be too surprising if "Karma" was initially created for Cyrus.

On Wednesday, April 11, , Siwa revealed that her new look was inspired by the actress/pop star's Bangerz moment in 2013.

"When I was 8 is when Miley had her Bangerz moment and I was like, 'All I want is to have that one day.' I want that," the former Dance Moms star said on Call Her Daddy, referencing Cyrus' fourth studio album that let her inner wild child shine.

She continued: "Honestly since I was 15 my whole inner circle has been talking about it and getting excited for it. And then two years ago is when I started writing new music. I got out of my Nickelodeon music contract."

The "Boomerang" performer was pitched the song "Karma" back in 2022 and she fell in love with it — but the first line, "I was a bad girl," didn't sit right at the time, so she decided to shelve it.

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Jojo Siwa
JoJo Siwa in California in September 2021. Leon Bennett/Getty

Then, Siwa had an idea for the music video and realized, "This is my 180."

When host Alex Cooper asked her how she feels about the criticism she's faced online with her drastic aesthetic change, Siwa said "Karma" did exactly what she wanted it to — and it gave her the moment "I've always wanted."

She added: "I will never claim to be a singer but I will claim to be an artist. I am giving the world art and they might not like it, they might hate it, but they're enjoying it. And it's become a bit of a guilty pleasure for everyone."

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