Kim Carnes Subtly Shade JoJo Siwa's "Bette Davis Eyes' Cover"

In this wild world of music and social media, generational sparks are flying, but not in the kind of hit duet style you might expect. Some of the internet chatter surrounding JoJo Siwa's recent cover of the 1981 hit "Bette Davis Eyes" has reportedly reached the ears of the original song's singer, powerhouse Kim Carnes.

Without calling anybody out by name, the 79-year-old Grammy winner hit TikTok in what fans are reading as some serious, if oblique, clapback. Sharing a throwback clip of her original music video for the track, a smoky, shadowy rendition set in a dark warehouse, Carnes made it clear that singing, to her, is about more than simply hitting the notes. It's about the soul. "There is a difference between singing a song.... And embodying it....," she wrote pointedly in the caption. "I've always believed authenticity is what makes music timeless."

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Although it's not a direct announcement, the message certainly caused a stir on social media, as it was posted just two days after Siwa teased her new take on "Bette Davis Eyes" online. Infamous for her fearless reinvention and boundary-pushing aesthetic, JoJo's cover immediately elicited a mixed reaction, from admiration to confusion, none louder, however, than the voice behind the original. Although Carnes abstained from outright criticism of Siwa, her vaguely worded comment about "authenticity" suggests that she may not have been entirely pleased with the glitter-bombed overhaul. She ended her message with a thoughtful nod to her own legacy, "I'm forever grateful to be the voice behind this one..... Bette Davis Eyes."

For her part, JoJo Siwa has yet to respond to the apparent shade, and fans on both sides are weighing in. Some commend Siwa for updating a classic, while others side with Carnes in defense of the original's emotional resonance and era-defining sizzle. A significant generational divide persists in the music industry. Whether that will lead to an open conversation, collaboration, or only more cryptic observations remains to be seen. But when it comes to timeless hits and contemporary reinventions, not every cover gets praise, especially from the original artist.