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Where Are They Now? Here's How Rebecca Black Went From Internet Meme To Hyperpop Queen
It's hard to overstate the backlash 13-year-old Rebeca Black received for her song "Friday" back in 2011. The song dropped right as YouTube was just going mainstream, and video-based internet virality had reached peak saturation. Listeners called it the "worst song ever made," even as the music video held on as one of YouTube's most disliked videos of all time.
As for Rebecca Black, her well-meaning but ill-timed foray into pop music made her the subject of one of the internet's worst cyberbullying campaigns. It's the kind of traumatic early-teen experience that would have made a lesser woman quit music and hide from the public eye for the rest of her life, and yet, Rebecca Black persevered.
Over a decade since the release of "Friday," Black has been etching out a name for herself, first as a hyperpop warehouse DJ in LA, and then as a full-on pop star who looks back on her time as the internet's punching bag as bittersweet. In this week's Where Are They Now, here's Rebecca Black.
Who Is Rebecca Black and Why Did She First Go Viral Online?
Back in the summer of 2011, it became really hard to avoid Rebecca Black's March release, "Friday." The song hit the Billboard charts and peaked at number 38 in less than a week after release. It hit number 19 on iTunes charts and sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone and the original music video gathered more than 30 million views on YouTube in just the first week.
But all of these laurels, chart numbers, and fame that any young artist would have killed for at the start of their career probably felt really hollow to 13-year-old Rebecca Black. Her song "Friday" was only a "hit" because so many people thought it was really, really bad.
In March 2011, video production company "Ark" released the official music video for Rebecca Black's song "Friday," which was written and produced by LA-based record producers Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson, the latter of whom even has an uncredited rap feature on the track.
The song featured some truly inspired lyrics, like "Yesterday was Thursday / Today it is Friday / Tomorrow is Saturday / And Sunday comes afterwards," with the music video showing a gaggle of preteens driving around while Rebecca Black croons on about how excited she is for the weekend.
But what could have been a one-off project that gave a young Rebecca Black some experience with music production and marketing became one of the most defining moments of her life. The song became an unprecedented viral phenomenon, with comedian Michael J. Nelson retweeting the video, calling it the "worst video ever made," and skyrocketing its views from a meager 4,000 to several million. Soon after, several media outlets began covering every inch of the hate it received online.
"Friday" became a certified hit within a short week, but the attention it received was almost entirely ironic.
Why Did People Seem To Hate 'Friday' So Much, and How Did Black React To The Hate?
Rebecca Black's music video came hot on the heels of fame other child pop stars had garnered through YouTube in the late 2010s. Justin Beiber was a notable example Rebecca Black likely hoped to emulate through her efforts, although she clearly wasn't given access to the same quality of songwriters.
The insipid lyrics of "Friday" became an instantly quotable meme, as did Rebecca Black's own cheery teenage appearance. The internet has never been the most accommodating place for young women, but people seemed to really relish dishing out some extremely cruel comments toward a young teen they only knew of through a random internet video.
Between the IRL harassment, Black was subjected to and the online comments that urged Rebecca to "cut herself" and die or starve herself "till she's pretty," one would imagine that Black resorted to locking herself in her room until her lawyers managed to take down the video once and for all. But Black did no such thing.
In a string of media appearances following her charting song, Black talked about her experience with Ark Records, how she copes with online hate, and why she will continue pursuing her passion for music. Rolling Stone writer Perpetua even praised Black after his interview with her, saying "She is actually a pretty decent singer" and "She is a total sweetheart. […] Black comes off as a well-adjusted, happy, and grateful kid." He also made it a point to note that she intended to donate much of her income from the song to charity.
What Has Rebecca Black Been Up To Since 'Friday' And Does She Still Make Music?
To her credit, Rebecca Black never stopped working on her pop star dreams. Soon after the backlash and the media appearances died down, she began to put her head down and work on her own music. She released a sequel to Friday in late 2013, collaborating with YouTube pop punk artist Dave Days.
Black also signed onto the Maker Studios YouTube network, posting covers and vlogs on her YouTube channel for a few years until she released her EP RE / BL in 2016. In 2018, Black made a brief foray into reality television, appearing on Fox's The Four: Battle for Stardom. A panel comprised of Sean Combs, Meghan Trainor, and DJ Khaled voted Rebecca Black into the show for her rendition of NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye," but she was booted in favor of James Graham from the boy band Stereo Kicks in the next round.
Rebecca Black didn't truly find her niche until she got into the hyperpop scene in the early 2020s; on the 10-year anniversary of "Friday," she released a remix of a song featuring Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and featuring 3OH!3, Big Freedia and Dorian Electra.
The music video for the "Friday" remix is truly a homage to the chaotic era of the early 2010s internet. Between the glitched-out graphics and the plethora of Rage Comic characters that make an appearance in the show, Rebecca Black embraces the same internet culture that led to people trying so hard to tear her down a decade ago.
What Is Rebecca Black Up To These Days, And Where Can You Find Her Online?
Rebecca Black released her second EP Rebecca Black Was Here in 2021, and her second studio album Let Her Burn in early 2023. Her new music, which often leans into the internet-inspired hyperpop genre, is some of her most critically acclaimed work. Fans and music reviewers gave Let Her Burn solid scores, and even landed Rebecca Black a slot opening for K-Pop band Blackpink in 2023.
While she's no longer a Billboard 100 artist, it's apparent that Black thoroughly enjoys her new, niche and genuine fame as an alternative artist, even playing a remix of her viral hit at a 2024 Boiler Room show.
You can find Rebecca Black on her YouTube, and her Instagram and her X (formerly Twitter) account.
For more on Rebecca Black and her rise to fame, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry.