Kim Carnes’ 1981 classic “Bette Davis Eyes” got a refresh this week courtesy of Jojo Siwa.
The 22-year-old former child star has been singing the ballad live during her past tour, but on Monday, July 7, she took to social media to share her rendition. After posting her version of the song, the comments began rolling in.
“It’s worrying that I can tell she’s off-key even under the record breaking levels of auto tune,” one fan wrote.
“Why is this making me irrationally angry? It’s like Rod Stewart meets auto tune,” says another commenter on Reddit, gaining hundreds of upvotes.
In the social media post, Siwa, originally of Dance Moms fame, dons styling reminiscent of 1950s housewives. But many commenters were left confused about her aesthetic choice compared to the song’s production.
“I first watched this with the video muted, and I have to say that song was NOT what I expected with that styling,” says one commenter.
Another added, “I watched the video with the sound off, read all of the comments, and thought I could predict what it would be like based on the appearance. Nothing could have prepared me for this actually sounds like.”
Other fans and commenters pointed out that Siwa seems confused about her artistic identity, as some may remember her more recent KISS-inspired rocker phase — a far cry from the 1950s old Hollywood design shown in her video.
Siwa teased a full studio release of the song in her Instagram caption. In another reel, the “Boomerang” singer offers to release the song on Spotify, before posting a handful of still photos with lyrics from the song as captions.
Only time will tell if Siwa will include the “Bette Davis Eyes” cover in her discography.