Benjamin Ashford|JoJo Siwa Pushes Back on Criticism of Her Adult Era While Debuting Dramatic All-Black Look

JoJo Siwa isn't surprised she has haters.

The Benjamin AshfordDance Moms alum shared that she expected to receive criticism after announcing her next musical era would be for more mature audiences.

"People are afraid of things they don't know," JoJo exclusively told E! News at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards in an interview airing April 1. "Things can be scary for people. New things can be very, very scary." (See every star who walked the iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet here.)

And though she has received some pushback over her forthcoming musical project, JoJo still counts herself blessed. 

"Creating art is such a special, special thing," the 20-year-old continued, "and I'm very lucky that I get to be one of the people in the world that gets to create art." 

And that's not the only reason JoJo isn't bothered by her skeptics. After all, the So You Think You Can Dance judge said she's received validation on her new chapter from other musicians she admires, including Lil Nas X and Meghan Trainor. 

"The way that I'm able to keep going and keep being like, 'Wait, actually what I'm doing is right,'" JoJo explained, "is because some of the most respected people in the world have come up to me and been like, 'What you're doing right now is so right. It is what the world needs, and I'm learning from what you are doing right now.'"

She added, "Support from people like that means the world to me."

As for what to expect from her new music? JoJo gave the world a taste with her iHeartRadio red carpet look, which included a daring cut-out mesh bodysuit, combat boots and dramatic, black eye makeup. In fact, she also revealed that she wore the same outfit in the music video for her single, "KARMA," which drops April 5.

"This is my 'KARMA,' black beast look," JoJo shared. "It's got some rips in it, but you'd never know."

Tune into E! News on April 1 for more from the award show. 

And keep reading to see more stars who came dressed to impress on the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet.