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It takes 28 days to make a habit, and 90 days to make a lifestyle, JoJo Siwa says. She clocked her time on Dancing With the Stars at 86 days. “We’re four days away from a lifestyle. It’s wild,” the 18-year-old tells Teen Vogue two days after finishing in second place after a historic run with her partner Jenna Johnson on the dance competition series.
She's sad to leave one of the best experiences of her life. She and Jenna were the first same-sex dance partners to compete on Dancing With the Stars, performing hit after hit — from an iconic turn as Pennywise to a Grease foxtrot as Sandy to Jenna's Frenchie. All season, she and Jenna have been one of the most fun pairings to watch. But in addition to challenging her as a performer, her time on the show also deeply impacted her as a human, making her more confident and herself than ever.
Below, JoJo talked to Teen Vogue about pushing through the most difficult dances, controlling her chaos, and learning to advocate for herself as she turns toward what's next. “I want people to know that where I’m at is I’m happy,” JoJo says. “And I feel like I’m the best me I’ve ever been.”
TV: What did you learn about yourself while doing DWTS?
JJS: Oh my god, so many things. I learned that if I try new things, I practically almost every time end up liking them. I learned that I like taking risks and I like to be a little more grown-up sometimes. It’s kind of a scary thing because I wasn’t expecting to feel that anytime soon, but I enjoyed it.
TV: How did this experience challenge you as a dancer and as a performer?
JJS: Even just the way I carry myself now, from week one to now is a completely changed version of me. I used to walk with my chin low, my shoulders hunched over, hiding within myself. Now I stand a little taller with my chin a little higher, looking a little prouder. I learned that I used to just go chaotic versus being controlled chaotic, and having controlled energy, not just a lot of energy.
TV: That definitely comes across. I was rewatching your “Baby One More Time” performance, and you have this focused, intense look on your face as you’re absolutely killing it.
JJS: Thank you. That was one week where we really worked on taking our energy and containing it, because the week before that was one thing we got from the judges, that sometimes it looks like too much. Watching it back I agree with them. We really wanted to take that week where we did the Argentine Tango and just make it calm.
TV: What did it feel like to pull off that performance as all of the Free Britney news was happening?
JJS: Honestly, I’ve loved Britney since the day I listened to her first song. She’s awesome. So the fact that we got to dedicate a whole episode to her is so special. Our dance is something that gets to live on for forever, which is so special. It’s amazing.
TV: Which dance felt the most natural and fun to you, and which one was the most difficult to pull off?
JJS: It’s interesting because the one that was the most difficult to pull off was our foxtrot, which was Grease week as Sandy and Frenchie. But it got us our first perfect score, the first perfect score of the season. But learning that number, I had a lot of trouble. And the number didn’t really settle in my body until Sunday night, and so I was very happy that it finally started to come together. And I feel like naturally, the number I was able to have the most fun with was when I did Pennywise, and it was jazz. Although our bodies that week were literally giving out on us. Jenna’s leg was messed up. My back and arm was messed up, both of us were just a mess in our bodies because we took such an intense number and threw ourselves in it. Jenna dreamed this dance and created it in her head, but when you’re actually doing it over and over again, it takes a toll on you. But it was so worth it.
TV: I wanted to ask you about that one, because you kind of looked like you had unlocked a new part of yourself in that Pennywise costume.
JJS: Totally. I say, day by day, I add a new floor to my hotel. Or I unlock a new level. Pennywise was a whole new level.
TV: I want to go back to what you said about feeling the dance settle in your body — how do you describe that? What does it feel like when you know you’ve got it?
JJS: It’s interesting, because our first four dances really settled in my body nicely. But when we did Descendants, it never really settled in my body, and I think that really showed in the dance. Then we did Sandy and Frenchie, Pennywise, there just comes a point in time with the dance where my body just understands what to do and it trusts itself. I feel like the only thing that gets in the way is my brain, and I overthink things a lot, and it can sometimes be a problem.
TV: That’s real. How did you and Jenna work together on these choreographies? Do you ever get to improv or add in your own special flair? What was your working relationship like?
JJS: We really bonded well from the beginning. She was a great teacher, she says I was a great student. In rehearsals, we both had the same goal. She always knew that I was trying hard 24/7 and working and practicing and trying to make it as good as humanly possible, and I did the same with her. We’d understand that she’d get frustrated at times, but not with me, with the environment. With what’s going on inside or outside rehearsal. I think we were just very understanding of each other.
There would be weeks where I was mad at myself, thinking I wasn’t being fast enough or picking it up quickly enough. She’d be like, calm down, you’ve never done [this move] before, like we’re not gonna have it perfect today. I’m like, I know, but still. She choreographed everything. But when we did “Born This Way,” there was about eight and a half counts of choreography missing, and we were trying to figure out what should go there. I was thinking, “I think it should be an intricate little part where our feet are quick stepping.” She was like, I love it, let’s do it. She comes in the next day, and she’s like, “I want you to actually choreograph that part. Because I feel like it’s just in your body and you should have a say in what it is.” Like, no pressure, lemme just pull this one out, I can make an eight-and-a-half count, no problem. But it turned out.
TV: Thinking about the barrier you guys have broken on Dancing With the Stars as the first same-sex couple, sometimes I wonder about initial positive steps that aren’t followed through in the future. What do you think of the future of the show? Do you think they’ll continue to cast same-sex pairings?
JJS: I think the crew on the show and the casting department is an amazing team. I feel like, if it makes sense, there should be and will be multiple more same-sex pairings. I’m happy I got to be the first, but I would never expect to be the last. It’s something that can go on forever and ever … a straight male can dance with a straight male, or a straight male can dance with a gay male. I think it shouldn’t matter, it should be what every party is comfortable with.
TV: You’ve been advocating for yourself recently with your shows and just making sure you’re getting to perform the songs that you own. How do you think you learned to stick up for yourself and take a stand?
JJS: I think a lot of it comes from my mom, I really do. I feel like she has taught me that when you believe in something, you fight for it. That’s what you have to do in life.
TV: Your next project has already premiered, Siwas Dance Pop Revolution. How is that going? What did you enjoy about that experience?
JJS: The little kids on the show are so talented, the moms are so crazy and psycho, drive me mad. But at the end of the day I love them. It was a blast of a show to film, but it was even more of a blast to live. It was something we were actually doing, and it was just being documented. That’s what makes this show so special, it's so real.
TV: You’ve talked some before about how this has been a period where you can transition out of being a child star and into your adult career. The bow is gone. You’re coming into your own. What is your vision for what you want your career to look like in the next few years? What do you want to be doing?
JJS: Honestly, that is a phenomenal question. I never expected my journey to take this path, I really didn’t. I didn’t expect to feel the way that I feel right now this quick. I knew that I always wanted to feel like this, but I remember thinking I was never gonna get here. I want to move forward, and I want to age as I age. I think I’m in a great spot right now. I love what I look like, I love what I feel like, and I just want to keep that momentum.
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