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Boy bands and memes are colliding on this episode! I had the chance to interview Kianna Davis, the original creator behind a meme we all know and love, the IT’S GONNA BE MAY Justin Timberlake meme.

Can you believe it’s still going over 10 years later? The Justin Timberlake meme is so popular, it’s featured on the “It’s Gonna Be Me” Wikipedia page and also gained the attention of Barack Obama.

Hear the story about how she came up with this meme in 2012 and the cool things that have happened since, including the time Justin himself gave her props.

We also touch on the importance of giving credit to creators like her.

 

“I was immediately worried that Justin is going to see this and be like ‘okay, what idiot made this?’ It was literally just an accident. I was just posting something funny for my friends and it blew up.”

– Kianna Davis

But there’s also so much more to Kianna than the ‘It’s Gonna Be May’ meme. She is also a space enthusiast and even went to space camp like our friend, Lance Bass! She shares more on this in the episode — she is simply the coolest.

Listen below:

In this episode, we discuss topics like:

  • Kianna’s history as an *NSYNC fan
  • The origin of the “It’s Gonna Be May” Justin Timberlake meme
  • The good old days of Tumblr!
  • The time Justin Timberlake gave Kianna a shoutout for starting the meme!
  • Why this meme is a hit year after year
  • Giving credit to creators
  • What makes a great meme

Links from the episode:

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If you’re feeling nostalgic, be sure to watch the *NSYNC music video for “It’s Gonna Be Me” on YouTube.

Related Resources about Memes, *NSYNC, & More!

Don’t Laugh. Memes are Your Brand’s Social Media Secret Weapon

Get Your Email Newsletter *NSYNC w/ Liz Wilcox | Making the Brand

How the Boy Band Wars Can Boost Your Social Media Engagement

Why ‘Ava Dean Beauty’ by AJ McLean is Marketing Gold

 

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