“All press is good press”. That’s what JoJo Siwa declares in her 2025 single Raspy, and judging by her career, she might be right. Who can forget the painstakingly mortifying, overtly sexual Karma dance routine, where the former child star grinds up against another female dancer? Say what you want, there is truth in her Raspy lyrics.
The venue, Cardiff’s Tramshed, was packed. The queue was wrapped around the corner in a line of shimmering costumes and fluorescent bows. I joined JoJo in her final show of her the UK leg of the Infinity Heart Tour at Tramshed, Cardiff on the 9th of October. This marks her second tour including the UK; her 2019 D.R.E.A.M The Tour hit 52 cities globally. Despite her controversial reputation, Siwa is a commercial powerhouse. With a reported net worth of £14.8 million, and appearances on The Kardashians, The Voice and RuPauls Drag Race, she’s hard to miss.
Still, I was apprehensive about going to see JoJo Siwa and honestly, a bit embarrassed. JoJo is far from cool or trendy. Even attending the concert felt like a mild humiliation ritual. When I told a friend where I was going, he replied simply, “ew, why?”
She is, in short, cringe.
I must admit, I had my assumptions about what a JoJo Siwa audience might look like, and I wasn’t far off. Little girls with bows decorating their high ponytails, faces submerged in glitter, parading around in tutus, and their hands clasping their mothers’. It was a sweet and wholesome scene. “How many people here is it your first concert ever?” JoJo calls out. High pitched screams were let out. Suddenly I felt ancient.
The innocence of some of the crowd made some moments uncomfortably wrong. While singing Balance Baby, Siwa thrusted against her dancers singing about “twerkin’ in the bedroom”. This moment sat oddly in the face of 12-year-olds.
And yet, there is something about Siwa that you just can’t stay angry about. JoJo radiates self-awareness. Drenched in bright pink and bedazzled costumes, everyone in the room, Siwa included, have an understanding that this is all in good fun.
Mid performance JoJo made it her mission to find the oldest person in the audience. She found 75-year-old Janet. She then went down through the ages, and within each bracket fans screamed their ages. JoJo is somehow for everyone.
Immediatley after opening the show with Infinity Heart, Siwa immediately set boundaries:
“If at any point somebody doesn’t feel well, we need to pause the show, we need to get help. Do me a favour, everyone in the surrounding area grab your flashlight, shake them around… sound good?”
It was cheesy, but undeniably sweet. Instantly, Siwa fostered an overwhelming feeling of safety, and as strange as it sounds, love.
That theme of love carried through the night at Tramshed. At one point screaming erupted, someone has proposed. JoJo was exasperated:
“Oh my god! Congratulations! … I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had this happen before…Do you want like a T-shirt or something?”
The crowd laughs, but soon a path was made through the crowd and two T-shirts where presented.
Image Courtesy of Emma Howe
Earlier in the show Siwa asked, “Is anyone here alone tonight? Can I tell you all a secret? Nobody in this room is alone tonight”. I scrunched my face up; this was corny but in the best way. Belonging is a motif that ran through every aspect of Siwa’s performance. Her lyrics, her crowd, the glittery sea of costumes, even her performance.
JoJo is a natural showman; it looks like second nature to her. She exudes confidence and her presence feels instinctive on stage. Backed by her four very energetic backup dancers, the show didn’t pause for breath. As a previous cast member on the hit reality TV show Dance Moms, I was expecting some good choreography, but JoJo can seriously dance.
Admittedly, she barley sang a word of her songs. Much of the time she just danced over the prerecorded track. But this is not a disappointment nor is it a surprise. No one really seemed to care. Siwa knows what the people want. They come for the spectacle, glitter, energy and cringe.
As I left Tramshed, I was thoroughly overstimulated.
The bright lights, sparkling costumes, heavily autotuned music, the spontaneous proposal, and at some points even Siwa’s raspy voice had overwhelmed me. The whole atmosphere was chaotic, bonkers and completely over the top.
Siwa is everything I thought she was going to be. She is cringe. She is extravagant. She balances this surreal duality of childish and hypersexual, in attempt to evolve her brand whilst still clenching to her Dance Moms roots. But it kind of works. She owns it.
To be sure, I wouldn’t recommend a JoJo Siwa concert to everyone. I am not rushing to buy a JoJo Siwa album by any means. At times, her relentless positivity feels false; few 22-year-olds radiate that kind of joy.
However, The Infinity Heart Tour pulls on the strings of nostalgia and entertainment. When Boomerang came on, I couldn’t help but feel a part of my child self getting excited. Siwa’s persona is magnetic, and as long as her messages remain positive and inclusive, there is no harm in a little JoJo magic.
Words by: Emma Howe
