Rebecca Renee Black is an American singer and Youtube personality.
When she was only 13 years old, the music video for Black’s single "Friday" went viral on YouTube. Within two months of being uploaded, the video had over five million views and became the most disliked video on the platform, which critics dubbed "The Worst Song Ever". Today, it has over 166 million views. Black later discussed how the fallout of the admittedly goofy song’s release left her feeling "terribly ashamed of herself and afraid of the world." But the experience ultimately motivated her to try again and achieve critical acclaim with her music.
Since "Friday", Black has made large strides toward reclaiming her name and career. In 2018, she participated in the televised competition The Four: Battle for Stardom, and though she earned a standing ovation, she was eliminated in the second round. She later released an EP, Rebecca Black Was Here (2021) and a full-length studio album, Let Her Burn (2023). Both were well received, with music magazine NME rating the album four stars and describing its feel as "razor-sharp."
During an interview on the podcast Dating Straight, Black came out as queer and briefly mentioned she’d had relationships with both men and women.
To me, the word queer feels really nice. I have dated a lot of different types of people, and I just don’t really know what the future holds. Some days, I feel a little bit more on the gay side than others.
Her single "Girlfriend", released January in 2021, was the first time Black felt ready to explore her sexuality as a subject in her songwriting; it’s a song about getting back together with an ex-girlfriend.
Black’s YouTube Channel has over 1.5 million followers and nearly 370 million views.