Rebecca Black — Yes, THAT Rebecca Black — Is Back

It’s hard to believe it’s been half a decade since “Friday,” the cringe-worthy viral pop smash, first hit the internet. Or maybe it isn’t, since that annoying coworker of yours continues to blast it on repeat at the end of every workweek. Well, you can finally tell him to knock it the hell off: Rebecca Black has some new material.

“The thing about ‘Friday’ was that it had no element of myself, at all,” says Black. “It wasn’t meant to go out into the world. It was supposed to be a way to get a little experience with recording a song and shooting a video. Obviously it took a different turn, so I just had to adjust. I took a bit of a break, went to high school and figured out who I am as a person.”

Despite finding infamy so early, the 19-year-old singer is back in the recording studio with a new sound and an entirely new career trajectory. Her latest single, “The Great Divide,” shows an entirely new side to the former YouTube sensation.

“My music takes a lot of my inspirations – electronic music, Florence and the Machine, Kanye – blends them all together and puts my own spin on it,” says Black. “I gained so much more confidence than I had before. It was a rough journey to get here, but it’s made me stronger and I’ve put everything I have into this new music. It’s exciting.”

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What is your worst habit?

Procrastination, unfortunately. I’m getting a lot better about it though. It’s the first thing to come to mind because it’s what I know I need work on.

What songs are on your playlist?

Oh! I love Coldplay right now, I just saw them in concert and I’m obsessed.

Who’s the artist that you admire the most?

That’s hard. I think right now I have to say Coldplay. That never would have been my answer before, but seeing them in concert was amazing. They have such an energy that the entire band puts out, you can tell a lot of thought goes into their live performances.

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What is your biggest pet peeve?

Flaky people. But sometimes I’m totally guilty of being a little flaky. Only because I’ve gotten busier in the last little while, so I guess I’m my own pet peeve at the moment!

What has been your best or worst fan experience?

Best was a girl who reached out to me online about some hardships she was going through and I met her in person at a meet-and-greet about a year after we had started talking. That was possibly the biggest moment of this crazy journey for me. The worst would have been the marriage proposal I got when I was 14. That’s maybe the weirdest, though.

What is something no one knows about you?

Not a lot of people know that I am half Latina. My mom is mix of Mexican, Spanish and Italian.

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What is the best advice you’ve been given?

The best advice was given to me by Katy Perry. She invited me up on stage with her at one of her shows back in 2011. She told me to always stay grounded and remember your family. Ever since then, I’ve made sure to do that because it can be so difficult when you’re young and working too hard.

What advice would you give to someone getting into the industry?

Never forget your individuality. Hold it tight. The only person who will have it is you.

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Photography: Catie Laffoon