What Do JoJo Siwa's "Guilty Pleasure" Lyrics Mean?
JoJo Siwa appears to be following in the footsteps of fellow former child stars with her drastic rebrand.
Published July 12 2024, 5:19 p.m. ET
Are your ears craving some “gay pop”? If so, JoJo Siwa is here to deliver. The former Dance Moms star dropped her “Guilty Pleasure” EP on July 12.
“Guilty Pleasure” is the title track in the feature project backed by Columbia Records.
No stranger to controversy, the lyrics — and accompanying music video — can be taken in one of two ways: She wishes that a lover would make a move, or she is telling the public that her music career will become their guilty pleasure.
Given her drastic rebrand recently, many people are wondering, “What is the 'Guilty pleasure' meaning?” Here's one interpretation.
What's the meaning behind JoJo Siwa's song "Guilty Pleasure"?
Don't lie to me, like you don't like this
I know you see me when you close your eyes
Baby, please, why you tryna fight it?
Don't be a tease
In the music video, these lyrics are set to JoJo in a glass box while a crowd bangs on the glass and holds up $100 bills. This could be a callback to the harsh public reception she received when she began promoting her EP.
Since the public was used to the bubbly and colorful kid-friendly JoJo Siwa, seeing her wearing risque outfits was a big change.
“For the last few weeks the world has been f--king brutal,” she said on social media while teasing her “Choose UR Fighter” track. “They’ve been talking so much s--t … but I don’t give a f--k.”
At one point in the music video, JoJo even refuses to accept the large, bedazzled bow that she was famous for wearing. The person who offered the bow ends up being one of JoJo’s love interests in the video.
In the second verse, JoJo sings about being impatient and refusing to reverse the changes she has made.
It's all on you, leave it or take it
Make it move, but make it back tonight
What you gon' do? 'Cause I'm sick of waiting (Waiting)
Get out your mood
In this case, this has been her move to “gay pop.” She holds out hope that the public will come around to her rebrand.
JoJo has previously caught flack for claiming that she created the genre of “gay pop.” After a swift backlash, she clarified her comments.
“I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece of making it bigger than it already is,” she told Billboard.
“I want to bring more attention to it. I’m not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO. I can be the CMO, the chief marketing officer, and use my marketing tactics whether people like it or not.”
Although Jojo’s “Guilty Pleasure” music video is heavily on the sexual inuendos, the lyrics and subtle symbolism makes it clear that the song is about her relationship with the public.
Steam the “Guilty Pleasure” EP now and watch the "Guilty Pleasure" music video below.
