Rebecca Black reflects on Lady Gaga calling her a “genius”: “It was such a crazy experience to be a 13-year-old”

Rebecca Black has reflected on the “crazy experience” of being described as a genius by Lady Gaga when she was 13 years old.

• READ MORE: Rebecca Black – ‘Let Her Burn’ review: viral sensation burns her polarising musical past

The singer-songwriter became the world’s most notorious internet sensation in 2011 when the video for her song ‘Friday’ went viral, with many taking their dislike of the track to such lengths that it severely affected Black’s mental health.

One person who did not pile in on Black, however, was Lady Gaga – indeed, she notably referred to the singer as a “genius” at the time, describing ‘Friday’ as “fantastic”.

“I say Rebecca Black is a genius and anyone that’s telling her she’s cheesy is full of shit,” Gaga said.

Now, Black has spoken about what the praise from Gaga meant to her during an appearance on the show Mythical Kitchen. “It was so special and it’s only meant more to me, I think, as I’ve kind of gone throughout my career and have tried to navigate this entire process,” she said.

“I mean, at the time, it was such a crazy experience to be a 13-year-old.”

“I was a huge Lady Gaga fan, I was a huge Katy Perry fan,” she added, referencing the fact that the ‘I Kissed A Girl’ singer invited her to appear in her video for ‘Last Friday Night’. “It was such crazy experience to go from, like, living in my bedroom and all of these people being so far away to, all of a sudden like, them mentioning your name somewhere or just acknowledging that you exist.”

“And a lot of those experiences were people who were obviously, like, poking fun and laughing. That can be like, slightly crushing as a kid.”

Black, now 27, has said in the past that the backlash she received made her “afraid of the world” at just 13-years-old.

The singer will release her new album ‘Salvation’ on February 27, which will include the previous singles ‘TRUST!’ and ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’.

The last music Black released was 2023’s ‘Let Her Burn’. NME gave the record four stars, writing: “Admiring her transparency in her tainted love stories, which could both refer to her tumultuous relationship with music or a lover, and her bolshy exploration of bemusing eclectic pop music, ‘Let Her Burn’ is worth the wait.”

The post Rebecca Black reflects on Lady Gaga calling her a “genius”: “It was such a crazy experience to be a 13-year-old” appeared first on NME.