Rebecca Black joins Billboard’s On the Record to go deep on one of the biggest questions in music right now: Is there such a thing as bad virality? Fifteen years after “Friday” made her the internet’s most unavoidable conversation, Rebecca reflects on how different the online world was in 2011 — when a monoculture could make something feel “everywhere” — versus today’s hyper-personal algorithms, niche platforms and nonstop viral cycles.
She revisits what it felt like for a song to explode while she was still a kid trying to understand the industry, identity and perception in real time. Rebecca talks about the pressure artists face to chase numbers, why trying to “gamify” virality can kill what makes something special and how the modern music economy turns attention into a bottom line — not just for labels, but for artists with teams depending on them.
Rebecca also opens up about reclaiming “Friday” as it reaches new milestones (including its Platinum certification), finding ways to make it fun on her own terms in DJ sets and live shows, and why independence has given her the freedom to create without constantly explaining herself. Plus, she discusses her album The Age of the Exhibitionist (out Sept. 4), the project’s focus on identity and authenticity and why she loves a “loud entrance” when introducing a new era.
Kristin Robinson: There’s no such thing as bad press. Is there such a thing as bad virality?
Rebecca Black: It was hard to understand the reality of what’s happening. Numbers are really hard to put into perspective.
Kristin Robinson: “Friday” is now certified Platinum. I’m wondering if hitting milestones like this has changed your perception of the song.
Rebecca Black: Obviously, it’s a huge deal, and I’ve watched the industry change a million times over, over the last 15 years.
Kristin Robinson: Can virality happen too early for someone?
Rebecca Black: Artists lose grip on who they are or what they’re meant to be just because they’re trying to recapture that number, which I don’t blame them. As soon as an artist has a team, that’s a bottom line. You’re responsible for huge percentages of your income being a sustainable income for everybody else.
Kristin Robinson: You have a new album coming out, Age of the Exhibitionist. Do you still hope for virality?
Rebecca Black: I think if I spent any time of my life [laughs] trying to recapture what happened to me, I would be wasting a lot of my own energy.
Kristin Robinson: You know what they say, there’s no such thing as bad press. But recently, I’ve been thinking about whether the same sentiment holds true for virality. Like, is there a bad way for songs to go viral? And if anyone knows the answer to this question, I think it’s my guest today, Rebecca Black. After her song and music video “Friday” was released on YouTube at age 13, Rebecca quickly became the Internet’s biggest meme of the moment. But now, 15 years later, she’s come back as a respected artist and DJ, working with some of the coolest and most cutting-edge names in music, like Slayyyter, Dillon Brady, Dorian Electra, Big Freedia, and more on her latest music.
Watch the full video above!
