Meet the Pop Artist Who Originally Recorded JoJo Siwa's 'Karma'

Where did JoJo Siwa's "Karma" single really come from?

First, rumors circulated that it was an early Miley Cyrus track that was cut from her Can't Be Tamed album.

Then, a late-2010s music video by Brit Smith went viral on TikTok in which the mysterious pop artist performed the song as "Karma's a B---h."

Despite Siwa's implications that she wrote her new single as part of her "bad girl" rebrand, it seems like Smith actually first recorded the song in 2011.

However, Siwa had vehemently denied knowing about Smith's version of the song.

"What happens is, people write songs and then they just don’t do anything with them. And then, a few years later, it makes more sense for another artist," Siwa told TMZ on April 12.

"I didn’t steal anything. There’s no such thing as stealing – I also don’t know who Brit Smith is," she added.

"I was pitched it. I loved it, was obsessed with it, so I grasped onto it. That's a very normal thing," she said.

Now, the singer is going viral thanks to Siwa's single as listeners discover her version of the electro-pop track.

Below, find out more about Brit Smith and "Karma."

Did JoJo Siwa Actually Write 'Karma'?

No. Though Siwa has implied that she had a hand in writing the song – whether it was intentional or not – but it was actually written by Desmond Child, Tim James and Antonina Armato.

The song was produced by the duo Rock Mafia, who were responsible for many similar-sounding 2010s hits like Cyrus' "Can't Be Tamed" and Aly & AJ's "Potential Breakup Song."

She also claimed in a Billboard interview that the original song had a "whole different bridge" that was "one note" but that she and her team decided to give it some "flow."

However, Smith's version seems to have a very similar bridge to Siwa's final version.

Who Is Brit Smith?

Brit Smith is a singer, songwriter and model who began her music career as a duo with her twin sister, Alex. The two were known as Brit & Alex and were signed to Interscope Records.

After the duo broke up, Smith went on to sign with Jive Records for a solo career under the stage name Matisse.

She told Page Six that "Karma's a B---h" was meant to be her first single in 2012.

"Things changed and I went with ‘Provocative' instead. And shouldn't have done that really—we should've gone with 'Karma.' That was my first choice," Smith revealed.

What Happened to Brit Smith's Music Career?

After she released her single "Provocative" featuring Will.i.am in 2013, Smith left the music industry.

Prior to that single, she dropped "Better Than Her" featuring Akon and the song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart.

Now that her "Karma's a B---h" music video has gone viral, she officially released her version of the song on streaming platforms on April 15.

What Does Brit Smith Think of JoJo Siwa's 'Karma'?

In her interview with Page Six, Smith noted that she's "just happy that people are hearing it and liking it," after it hadn't "seen the light of day until now."

She also addressed fans saying that her version is better than Siwa's.

"That's very nice of them to say. I feel like it's just a testament to how strong the song is itself that it's stood the test of time twelve years later," she said.

As for Siwa's version, Smith was asked if the former Nickelodeon star "did it justice."

"Yeah, I think it's nice to hear different interpretations of it. I was attached to my version but it's nice to hear hers," Smith said.

Did Brit Smith's 'Karma's a B---h' Really Beat JoJo Siwa on iTunes?

As of Tuesday (April 16) Brit Smith's version of "Karma's a B---h" reached No. 5 on the iTunes chart, while JoJo Siwa's version fell off the list completely.

Fans tweeted that the plot twist is "hilarious."

Others joked on Twitter/X that Siwa "accidentally jumpstarted someone else's career."