Everything You Need to Know About TikTok Star Jalaiah Harmon
Imagine you come up with something no one else in the world has made, it goes viral, but people don't know you're the one who created it. Sucks, right? That's what happened to 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon after a dance she created went viral online, especially on TikTok, and no one knew she was the mastermind behind it.
Luckily, the word is out now, but here's everything else you need to know about your soon-to-be new favorite TikTok celeb. And when you're done reading this, make sure to check out more fun stories, such as the most scandalous and scariest TikToks of all time, as well as who's dating who in both the Hype House and Sway House.
1. She created one of the most popular TikTok dances of all time
Jalaiah's dance for "Lottery (Renegade)" by K Camp went viral in 2019 (even Seventeen wrote about it), but she didn't get credit for creating the dance until 2020.
In February 2020, The New York Times published an article about Jalaiah and how the dance came to be. "Jalaiah listened to the beats in the song 'Lottery' ... then choreographed a difficult sequence to its chorus, incorporating other viral moves like the wave and the whoa," The NYT wrote, later adding how Jalaiah first posted it to Funimate, then posted it to Instagram, along with a side-by-side of her friend, 12-year-old Kaliyah Davis, also doing the dance.
The NYT noted how the dance was brought to TikTok by user @global.jones, "changing up some of the moves at the end, and the dance spread like wildfire." Celebs like Charli D'Amelio, Lizzo, and Sarah Magusara were all doing the dance. But, no one knew at the time that Jalaiah was the original creator.
Jalaiah unsuccessfully tried to get the word out she was the dance's originator. Eventually, it happened, but not to the extent it did for other dance creators, like the Floss dance's Backpack Kid Russell Horning.
"I think I could have gotten money for it, promos for it, I could have gotten famous off it, get noticed,” Jalaiah said to The NYT. "I don’t think any of that stuff has happened for me because no one knows I made the dance."
However, K Camp did personally thank Jalaiah for helping the song go viral, which, in turn, helped get her credit. He tweeted, "Thank you Jalaiah and Skylar for helping make lottery the BIGGEST song in the world. Tell the blogs eat it up!"
2. She showed off her "Renegade" dance with Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae
This TikTok also happened in February 2020. Charli captioned it, "guys i would like to introduce you to @_.xoxlaii i am so happy that she was able to teach me the original choreography that she made she is the best!"
3. She performed during an NBA game
Seriously, February 2020 was a GREAT month for Jalaiah. She showed off her dance moves on the basketball court during an NBA All-Star game.
Even better, she performed with K Camp at an Atlanta Hawks game.
4. She danced with Scooby-Doo
Jalaiah is just out here living my childhood dream right now by dancing with the one and only, Scooby-Doo. She did the "#ScoobDance" to help promote the new animated film, Scoob!. She even met the voice cast, which includes Zac Efron.
5. She also danced with Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Jalaiah held her own when she danced with tWitch on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. When Ellen asked how the dance came to be, Jalaiah said it only took her "about five to ten minutes but it took a lot of tries."
6. She's a Georgia native and a Virgo
Jalaiah was born on August 28, 2005 and, according to her website, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. However, Famous Birthdays reports she was originally born in Fayetteville, Georgia.
7. She's a dance superstar and has the training to back it up
Also mentioned on her website is the fact she is "professionally trained in over five genres of dance." At only 14 years old, that's crazy impressive! Famous Birthdays notes what those genres are: traditional hip-hop, ballet, lyrical, jazz, tumbling, and tap dancing.
8. She already has ambitious career aspirations
Tons of kids in college don't even really know what they want to do when they grow up, yet Jalaiah already has a plan in place. Unsurprisingly, she'd like to be a professional hip-hop dancer and choreographer. Girl, you're pretty much already there!
9. Her merch is crazy cute
If you're looking for a fun, new crop top, hoodie, or beanie, Jalaiah's merch line on her website has got you covered.
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