Nine years on from the infamous song that made her a household name at the age of 13, Rebecca Black has revealed she endured years of bullying and depression after the release.
Black, now 22, shot to fame when the music video for her song Friday was released on YouTube and rapidly became a viral sensation.
In an emotional statement posted on Twitter, Black has now revealed she had food thrown on her at school and music producers telling her they’d “never” work with her.
“9 years ago today a music video for a song called “Friday” was uploaded to the internet,” she wrote.
“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.
“To my 19-year-old self who had almost every producer/songwriter tell me they’d never work with me.”
Black went on to say she learnt not to be “defined” by that time in her life.
“I’m trying to remind myself more and more that every day is a new opportunity to shift your reality and lift your spirit,” she wrote.
Friday became an overnight sensation upon its release, and was ruthlessly panned online for its inelegant lyrics, such as: ““Kickin’ in the front seat / Sittin’ in the back seat / Gotta make my mind up / Which seat can I take?”
Black found herself in the spotlight in the wake of the song’s fame, going on to appear in the video for Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night and appearing on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
In her later teens, Black found success as a YouTuber and continued to release music. She most recently released a single titled Sweetheart.
