On Monday, Rebecca Black commemorated the 9-year anniversary of the day she uploaded her now infamous song "Friday" to YouTube by sharing a message to her younger self.
In 2011, the life of a then-13-year-old Black changed for both good and bad once "Friday" went viral. While fame and newfound attention were the expected byproducts of her infectiously popular song, the negativity and ridicule were also something she sadly had to deal with at such a young age.
"Above all things, I just wish I could go back and talk to my 13-year-old self who was terribly ashamed of herself and afraid of the world," Black wrote. "To my 15-year-old self who felt like she had nobody to talk to about the depression she faced. To my 17-year-old self who would get to school only to get food thrown at her and her friends."
"To my 19-year-old self who had almost every producer/songwriter tell me that they'd never work with me," she continued. "Hell, to myself a few days ago who felt disgusting when she looked in the mirror."
Black's road to 22 has been far from easy, especially for someone coming off the immense success of "Friday," but she has shown growth and exhibited perseverance in the face of what were evidently some difficult years. Now she's able to look back at that person she was at 13, and know that even at its worst moments, everything was going to be alright.
