Who is Brit Smith, and does she have beef with JoJo Siwa? The unknown singer gave up on music after making songs with Akon and Will.i.am – now her 12-year-old version of ‘Karma’ has overtaken Siwa’s

Apr 25 , 2024

Who is Brit Smith, and why has JoJo Siwa’s new single brought her back into the spotlight? Photo: @therealbritsmith, @iheartradioca/Instagram

JoJo Siwa of Dance Moms fame recently attempted to launch an edgier image with her song ‘Karma’ – but the track was originally recorded by a relatively unknown musician called Brit Smith

Now, thanks to TikTok making Smith’s 12-year-old version of the song more popular than Siwa’s, the ex musician has decided to re-release her old music and insists JoJo didn’t do anything wrong

Former child star JoJo Siwa’s effort to distance herself from her Dance Moms past with the release of her new song on April 5 appears to have backfired. The 20-year-old introduced her single “Karma” as a transition from her younger-audience-focused persona to a more mature brand. Despite weeks of build-up, her attempt to shock didn’t quite land with music critics.

But the story doesn’t end there. Shortly after the song came out, clips of a 2012 music video for the same song – performed by artist Brit Smith – spread rapidly across TikTok. Smith’s version of the song, originally written by Rock Mafia, was produced by Timbaland, who even appeared in the music video … but it was never officially released.

In an interview with Page Six, Smith said she had hoped to launch her career with “Karma” as her first single back in 2013, but the record label she was signed to instead chose to go with another song called “Provocative”. The track featured Will.i.am, and Golden Girls actress Betty White even starred in the music video – but the song wasn’t a success.

Brit Smith, who unexpectedly charted on iTunes with an old song, is also a mother. Photo: @therealbritsmith/Instagram

To everyone’s surprise, Smith’s version of “Karma” has now managed to climb to number eight on the US iTunes pop charts, according to USA Today, overtaking Siwa’s version which only charted at number 89. In response to claims on social media that she had plagiarised Smith’s work, Siwa told TMZ that it’s not unusual for songs to be circulated among various artists before their release, adding, “I also don’t know who Brit Smith is.”

Until recently, the leaked version of the original song was only accessible on YouTube. However, the song is now available for streaming on all platforms under Smith’s name. Amid all the drama, Siwa’s version of “Karma” inadvertently boosted Smith’s profile and fame, particularly as the original music video for the track resurfaced last week and captured public attention.

But who is Brit Smith? Here’s what we know about the singer.