• Brooklynne Webb is a TikToker with over 10 million followers.
• Last year she released a music video she said was to bait her haters. It received millions of views.
• Webb told Insider why she decided to encourage negativity to drive her song's success.

A 17-year-old TikTok star who went viral in December for releasing a "cringe" song she later said was intended as satire has revealed how she came to find success by trolling her haters.

Brooklynne Webb, who goes by xoBrooklynne on TikTok, where she has over 10 million followers, rose to fame in part for her public condemnation of the huge numbers of hate comments criticizing her appearance. From then, she regularly fielded personal attacks in her comment sections.

On December 8 she released her first single "My Crown," a pop song about dealing with "haters," and it was widely believed that her song was genuine. Critics mocked its "cringe-worthy lyrics and heavy autotune," comparing it to the 2011 viral song "Friday" by Rebecca Black.

On December 18, Webb uploaded a YouTube video titled "HOW TROLLING GAVE ME A MUSIC CAREER!," which has received over 400,000 views and 25,000 likes. She revealed the song was intended as satire and said she released it with the goal of baiting trolls. 

Now, the song's music video has been viewed almost 2.9 million times, and Webb explained to Insider why she decided to take his unconventional approach to success.

Webb said the key was identifying what would make her trolls respond

Webb told Insider she used her prior experience with trolling to choose elements of her uploads that had drawn criticism. "I knew how to get people outraged before going into it," she said. "It's just a matter of is this actually gonna work. And then it worked perfectly." 

Webb would frequently post videos in which she was "really excited" about how she did her hair and make-up, she said, explaining that trolls would "pick out this one little thing and be like, 'that looks awful. That looks terrible.'" These criticisms would flood her comment sections.

"I really got used to realizing when people do this. Then I was able to use it more to my advantage."

Webb aimed to make the trolls viewing her content "outraged" over those "little things that people think that they're pointing out to make fun of you" such as using "crazy exaggerated facial expressions and movements," and claiming to be "collabing with a really big artist". 

I love this dance break from my music video💕🥰👑

For example, Webb created an over-the-top dance routine to accompany the song, which she enthusiastically demonstrated in a number of TikTok uploads. On one video, a top comment with 20,000 likes reads "the dance doesn't even go with the song."

When she saw the criticism, "it felt like 'mission accomplished,'" Webb told Insider.

If online criticism is 'inevitable,' Webb may as well cause controversy 

Part of Webb's online persona, which she's described as being "cringey" and lacking in self-awareness, is down to her struggle being herself online for fear of the response. "I find it personally really hard to kind of put out 'this is me,' genuine content. I really tried to do it, but a lot of the time I get so nervous about how people are gonna take it and react." 

Webb believes that trolls will seek to get creators canceled no matter what they do.

"Cancel culture sucks because it's almost always misused over little things," Webb explained, referencing TikTok star Dixie D'Amelio who saw widespread backlash in November 2020 after acting disgusted when offered a dish of snails prepared by a private chef. 

Webb said she doesn't have "anything to hide" that she thinks would get her canceled, but said she can see it happening regardless because "it's kind of inevitable with social media."

"I hope it doesn't," she said.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Watch: Billie Eilish just won International Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards. Here's how she incorporates ASMR into her music.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyjvs6ooqWxnqOybsPEm5lmoZ6psrPCyJ6uZqyZoMGwt4ymsGaboqTEr3nTq6alpKNif3F%2BkWZq