00:00When you think of Friday, there's probably one song that comes to mind.
00:08It's hard to overstate the backlash 13-year-old Rebecca Black received for her song Friday back
00:13in 2011. The song dropped right as YouTube was just going mainstream, and video-based
00:18internet virality had reached peak saturation. Listeners called it the worst song ever made,
00:22even as the music video held on as one of YouTube's most disliked videos of all time.
00:27It's the kind of early teen experience that would've made a lesser woman quit music and
00:31hide from the public eye for the rest of her life, and yet Rebecca Black persevered.
00:35In a string of media appearances following her charting song, Black talked about her
00:39experience with Arc Records, how she copes with online hate, and why she will continue pursuing
00:44her passion for music. Rolling Stone writer Perpetua even praised Black after his interview
00:48with her, saying, "[She is actually a pretty decent singer, and she's a total sweetheart.
00:52Black comes off as a well-adjusted, happy and grateful kid." He also made a point to note that
00:57she intended to donate much of her income from the song to charity. To her credit, Rebecca Black
01:01never stopped working on her pop star dreams. Soon after the backlash and the media appearances died
01:05down, she began to put her head down and work on her own music. She released a sequel to Friday
01:10in late 2013 called Saturday, collaborating with YouTube pop-punk artist Dave Days. Rebecca Black
01:19didn't truly find her niche until she got into the hyper-pop scene in the early 2020s.
01:23On the 10-year anniversary of Friday, she released a remix of a song featuring Dylan
01:31Brady of 100 Gecs and featuring 303, Big Freedia, and Dorian Electra. While she's no longer a
01:37Billboard 100 artist, it's apparent that Black thoroughly enjoys her new niche and genuine fame
01:42as an alternative artist, even playing a remix of her viral hit at a 2024 Boiler Room show.
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