"Karma's a Bitch" is a song by American singer

Brit Smith Brittany Smith (born December 3, 1985), formerly known as Matisse, is an American singer. She gained prominence from a young age as one half of a modeling duo with her identical twin sister Alex, appearing in various commercials. They later wen ...

. It was written by

Antonina Armato Antonina Armato is an American songwriter, record producer, music producer and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and member of Rock Mafia, a record production/songwriting team. She has worked with Justin Bieber, Zedd, Gwen Stefani, Demi Lov ...

, Tim James, and

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...

in 2011 and was intended to be Smith's debut single, but was later shelved. Following the release of the heavily panned cover version "

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

" by

JoJo Siwa Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa ( ; born May 19, 2003) is an American singer, dancer, actress, and media personality. From 2015 to 2016, she appeared as a dancer on two seasons of the reality television show '' Dance Moms'' alongside her mother, Jess ...

in April 2024, Smith's original "Karma’s a Bitch" was released as a single after gaining traction online.

Background

In 2011,

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

allegedly recorded the song "Karma's a Bitch", which was written for her. However, the song was scrapped due to her contract with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

at the time. It was then offered to Brit Smith, who re-recorded the song to her liking in 2012 as her planned debut single. However, Interscope Records encouraged her to release the song "Provocative" instead in 2013. After "Provocative" underperformed, Smith left the music industry. "Karma's a Bitch" was produced by

Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...

and

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

(who also appears in the music video), in 2012 but shelved it until independently releasing it on April 13, 2024. The recording garnered viral attention on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

following JoJo Siwa's April 5 release of the same year, resurfacing a March 2013 music video on

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

and prompting the single's official release.

Reception

"Karma's a Bitch" garnered a positive reception online compared to Siwa's version, which was professionally released first. Smith's version received praise for its "banging hook" and production by Timbaland. Additionally, Smith's version peaked at number 8 on the US iTunes Pop Charts, surpassing Siwa's which peaked at 89.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Marc Klasfeld Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Slipknot, Sum 41, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Michael Bublé, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Kelly ...

, who also directed the video for Siwa's version. It was originally uploaded to

on March 20, 2013. The shots of Smith and accompanying individuals were shot prior and the graphics were later added by Super77, an animation and design studio located in Columbus, Ohio. It features Smith at a church, club and in her bedroom as she attempts to get a man back after she is caught cheating.

Charts

Notes

References

{{reflist 2024 singles 2012 songs American dance-pop songs American electronic dance music songs Song recordings produced by Timbaland Songs written by Desmond Child