Nine years after her music video Friday went viral and racked up tens of millions of views on YouTube, Rebecca Black is opening up about how the song nearly ruined her life. Black was just 13 years old when she made the video, and she says she suffered relentless bullying because of it.
Black is now 22, and on Monday she posted a selfie on Instagram along with a throwback pic of herself from the video, and she wrote a lengthy caption that she wishes she could go back and change some things.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Z-gC8JDNX/
“9 years ago today a music video for a song called “friday” was uploaded to the internet,” wrote Black. “above all things, i just wish i could go back and talk to my 13 year old self who was terribly ashamed of herself and afraid of the world. to my 15 year old self who felt like she had nobody to talk to about the depression she faced. to my 17 year old self who would get to school only to get food thrown at her and her friends.”
Black went on to write that when she was 19, almost every producer and songwriter in the music industry told her they would never work with her, and just a few days ago she felt disgusted after looking at herself in the mirror.
She added that she’s trying to remind herself more and more that every day is a new opportunity to shift your reality and lift your spirit. Black says that people aren’t defined by any one choice they’ve made or thing that they do. She explained that time heals and nothing is finite, and it’s a process that’s never too late to begin.
In a BuzzFeed video from July 2019, Black told the story behind the video, and she explained that she was in 8th grade when a friend of hers made a video with friends and sang a “cute song.” Since she was a “theater kid” who loved music and was obsessed with Glee, she thought it would be fun to make her own video.
Black said that she contacted the company that made videos for kids her age, and they wrote her a song to sing and produced the music video. Of course, she had no idea that it would become a viral sensation.
Fan support for Black’s story has been extremely positive, and she says she has been “overwhelmed” by the support. Rebecca Black says she is grateful for the nice words from fans on social media, and she can’t stop crying happy tears because of it.
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“could have never imagined the internet being so loving and kind. not really thinking in big words right now but i will be hopefully more coherent and less weepy tomorrow. i am so so grateful,” wrote Black.
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