Rebecca Black is back

Admittedly she never went away, but over 10 years after THAT video which I described back in 2011 as ‘pure pop genius’ – glad y’all caught up at the back now – and Rebecca Black is not the same person as the 13 year old who created the first big viral hit in Friday.

I talked back then about her relatability as an awkward ‘girl next door’; which was thrown as a criticism (she was rather stilted in early appearances, a bit like a deer in the headlights, but that meant we could all put ourselves in her place and empathise) but what she went through with trolls and death threats as a kid makes her story all the sweet now. Sweet revenge through survival and music.

Rebecca Black came out as queer in 2020 (something I missed, she was alreay a queer icon, so it figures), and although she did excellent sequels like Saturday I am stanning her recent work because it feels like she gained 1000% more confidence. Even to take on her signature tune/personal nightmare with fetish gear from space, with Big Freedia, Dorian Electra and OH!3 in hyperpop style via production from Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs:

I toyed with the idea of titling this with ‘Rebecca Black Is No Joke’ but that felt wrong since she wasn’t a joke in the first place, and her new stuff is totally in the area I’d cover anyway, it’s that good. Not as an ironic statement – will happily play ‘Worth It For The Feeling’ or the remix of Friday on the podcast.

There are some really interesting Lynchian vibes here, like she’s taking her previous image and making it more something from Twin Peaks, the scary woman down the local diner, something darker and weirder. I love that. You can’t really do that unless you had a squeaky clean image to start with – like Bobby Vinton playing at the start of Blue Velvet. Funny and sweet yet with a dark undertow.

And like the bored station staff in her latest video with Slayyyter (really, great choice in collabs! Then again who would refuse to work with Rebecca Black, like Meghan Trainor being a superfan, she has a lot more respect and love out there that she thinks) reclaiming the images of them in ridiculous style,

I do feel she’s similarly reclaiming her image of old and making it hers, with her own voice. And that’s a great thing to see, and something that was learned from the whole fracas with Friday – back then virality and the internet was seen as this big tidal wave with no way to guide it, now people are savvy on how to spin it, redirect it and clapback – they learned that from Rebecca.

Long may she reign, and I do hope there’s a lot more to come, and these videos need a lot more love.

(Vice video on Friday via Ian Fondue, thanks to PDS for the tip about her latest music)