Publications
Partners
If you've ever wondered why nearly every single dance video on TikTok looks exactly the same, it's because (whether they know it or not), everybody's doing slightly different versions of The Renegade.
The dance went viral last year while its creator, the 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon from Atlanta, Georgia in the US, remained unknown.
It was this New York Times feature that set the record straight about Jalaiah's choreography.
After picking up on the article, Artist K Camp (whose song inspired the dance) took to Twitter to thank her since it was the teen's viral dance that had made his track Lottery (Renegade) "the BIGGEST song in the world."
After K Camp's post, Jalaiah was invited to feature on The Ellen Show where she shared that she came up with the dance in just 5 minutes.
Watch below or on YouTube:
C.E.O. of the Renegade?
Before the Ellen appearance and K Camp tweet, the dance was assumed to be the creation of TikTok influencer, Charli d'amelio, who was the first to go viral with the Renegade.
Here's Charlie's version (Watch below or on YouTube):
The 15-year-old Charli was being called the C.E.O. of the Renegade due to the slew of financial opportunities she had gained including a modelling contract, a television ad, and more than 30 million followers on TikTok.
Opportunities that Jalaiah felt she had missed out on.
'Robbed of credit'
Prior to her Ellen appearance her attempts to be recognised for her creation had gone ignored, she was even made fun of for claiming the dance.
"I was upset. It wasn’t fair."
"To be robbed of credit on TikTok is to be robbed of real opportunities," writes the New York Times' Taylor Lorenz, who further explains that, "virality means income: Creators of popular dances... often amass large online followings and become influencers themselves. That, in turn, opens the door to brand deals, media opportunities."
Jalaiah’s mom, Stefanie, says she could tell how much it had affected her daughter knowing she was missing out on life-changing opportunities.
"She wasn’t kicking and screaming about the fact that she wasn’t getting credit, but I could tell it had affected her."
But there seems to be no bad blood between Jalaiah and Charli.
The teens recently met in person and performed the Renegade together.
Since officially claiming her dance, Jalaiah got the chance to perform at an NBA game, and ended up getting some Twitter love from Michelle Obama.
"Jalaiah, you crushed it — love seeing your talent shine!" Wrote the former US First Lady.
Clearly, Jalaiah is an incredible dancer and we know this isn't the last we'll be seeing of her.
Chat back:
Share your story with Parent24. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
WhatsApp: Send messages and voicenotes to 066 010 0325
Email: Share your story with us via email at chatback @ parent24.com
