It’s almost Friday and Rebecca Black is trendy online. Just like that, it feels like 2011 again.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Black’s signature hit “Friday”. To be precise, a music video was uploaded to YouTube on February 10, 2011, in which the then 13-year-old performed a song her mother paid the producers $ 4,000 to write for. It didn’t take long for the video to unexpectedly explode and become one of the most viral musical moments of the last decade. It garnered millions of views on the platform, sparked debates, and spurred parodies and celebrity covers. The quick success earned Black a cameo Katy Perry Music video and the 2011 Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Star, while the lyrics of “Friday” were permanently anchored in the minds of a generation.
Still, it was dark in the glory of fame for Black as the then-teen faced criticism, bullying, and death threats. She started home teaching and became “incredibly depressed” amid the backlash, as she later recalled in 2020.
