JoJo Siwa drank from a bottle of Tito’s vodka while playing LA Pride In The Park this weekend – just weeks after her 21st birthday.
The event took place at Los Angeles State Historic Park and welcomed an array of showbiz personalities, including Ariana Grande’s brother Frankie.
Perhaps the biggest name among them was JoJo, who first rose to fame as a child star on the controversial reality series Dance Moms.
The 21-year-old – who is now dating Madison Rouge Alvarado after judging her on So You Think You Can Dance – was joined by scantily clad backup dancers.
Her concert comes two months after JoJo doubled down on her plan to invent “gay pop” as “an official music genre” – after previously backtracking on her comments.
JoJo Siwa drank from a bottle of vodka while playing LA Pride In The Park this weekend – just weeks after her 21st birthday
The event took place at the Los Angeles State Historic Park and welcomed an array of showbiz personalities who delighted the audience with their musical style.
The Omaha-born singer made waves in April when she said she wanted to “start a new genre of music” called “gay pop.”
Outrage erupted on social media when JoJo’s detractors pointed out that many gay artists made pop music before she did.
At first she backed away and spoke up TMZ: “I’m certainly not the inventor of gay pop,” but added that she hoped “to contribute to making it bigger than it already is.”
But soon after, she went on the SiriusXM show Hits 1 Miami with Mack and Jen and stated that she wants to establish ‘gay pop’ as a separate music category.
“So here’s the thing. Gay pop is indeed something that people have done, but it is not an official music genre. You know what I mean?’ she said.
“It’s a style, but it’s how there’s rap, there’s rock, there’s R&B, there’s pop. Gay pop is not an official music genre. If you look at the iTunes charts, there’s no – there’s a pop chart,” JoJo, who is from Omaha, argued.
‘Gay pop’ should be a separate genre for her: ‘Not just: “Oh, I’m a gay pop artist.” Yes, there are so many gay pop artists,” she admitted.
‘Oh my God. There are so many, but I think those gay pop artists deserve a bigger home than what they have now,” said JoJo.
JoJo rotated through a provocative series of choreography with her female backup dancers
She paired her dazzling rainbow ensemble with a shiny silver pair of go-go boots
At one point she leaned over to let one of her backup dancers grind on her
Perhaps the biggest name among them was JoJo, who first rose to fame as a child star on the controversial reality series Dance Moms
She grinned widely at Tito’s bottle after taking a sip from it
The 21-year-old – who is now dating Madison Rouge Alvarado after judging her on So You Think You Can Dance – was joined by scantily clad backup dancers
Her concert comes two months after JoJo doubled down on her plan to invent ‘gay pop’ as ‘an official music genre’ – after previously backtracking on her comments
The Omaha-born singer made waves in April when she said she wanted to “start a new genre of music” called “gay pop.”
Social media erupted with outrage as JoJo’s detractors pointed out that many gay artists created pop music before her.
She initially pushed back, telling TMZ, “I’m definitely not the inventor of gay pop,” but added that she hoped to “contribute to making it bigger than it already is.”
She felt her past comments were being interpreted unfairly and joked: “I could say I want world peace, and everyone would say, ‘How dare you want peace for the world?’
The former child star said: ‘People ask me all the time, they say, “Do you feel like you have to be really careful what you say?” I’m like, ‘No, because no matter what I say, it’s going to happen.'”
JoJo first sparked her “gay pop” controversy when she promoted her bawdy Karma music video, in which she indulges in lesbian romps.
“When I first signed with Columbia, I said I wanted to start a new genre of music,” she said in an interview with Billboard. “They said, ‘What do you mean?’ and I said, ‘It’s called ‘gay pop’. It’s like K-pop, but it’s gay pop.”‘
JoJo added, “There’s a style of dance called jazz funk. It’s jazz, it’s hip-hop, they’re having a baby, it’s called jazz funk. You can wear sneakers or jazz shoes. It’s a bit in between. I feel like that’s this world of music.”
She explained, “It’s that music world where it’s not necessarily pop, it doesn’t give you Katy Perry California Gurls, it gives you Lady Gaga Judas.”
Looking ahead to her career, she continued: “I have a vision, I always have. I know what I want to become. I know where I want to go. I know the level, I know the madness. I know what I want the world to believe.”
She was roundly mocked on social media, where one user pointed out that gay pop has “literally been around longer than she’s been alive.”
But soon after, she went on the SiriusXM show Hits 1 Miami With Mack & Jen and stated that she wants to establish “gay pop” as a separate music category.
She felt her past comments were being interpreted unfairly and joked: “I could say I want world peace, and everyone would say, ‘How dare you want peace for the world?’
JoJo first sparked her “gay pop” controversy when she promoted her bawdy Karma music video, in which she indulges in lesbian romps
She was roundly mocked on social media, where one user pointed out that gay pop has “literally been around longer than she’s been alive.”
As the backlash mounted, JoJo found herself backtracking, confessing to TMZ, “I’m definitely not the inventor of gay pop, definitely not.”
Ariana Grande’s brother Frankie Grande was also seen on stage at LA Pride In The Park
Pop fans pointed to some of the gay stars who came before her in the industry, from Elton John and Freddie Mercury to RuPaul and Frank Ocean.
“This is what happens when you tell a kid he’s good at everything and never criticize him for things, you understand,” one commenter wrote.
“Jojo siwa saying she wants to create a new genre of music called ‘gay pop’ is the most ignorant thing on earth,” said an ‘
As the backlash increased, JoJo found herself backtracking and confessing TMZ: ‘I am certainly not the inventor of gay pop, certainly not.’
JoJo qualifies her statement: ‘But I do want to contribute to making it bigger than it already is. I want to draw more attention to it.’
She tipped her hat to her predecessors in creating “gay pop,” including Madonna and Lady Gaga – and even Michael Jackson.