It's been seven years since Rebecca Black released her song, "Friday," but the pain from the bullying she received as a 13-year-old hasn't left her.
In an essay for NBC News' Think that was published on Friday, Black reflected on the dark side of her shot to stardom in 2011, admitting that "the onslaught of negative attention I received was so sudden and so intense that I wasn’t sure I would survive."
Black wrote that she was already bullied by her classmates before being bombarded with death threat by online trolls, and the additional bullying caused her to leave school and be homeschooled by her mother.
"One minute, I was a normal girl and then, in the next, millions of people [knew] who I was and they were ruthless in hurling the most vile words my way," she shared. "People were writing things all over the Internet, on social media and they were laughing at me on TV shows and making fun of me in YouTube videos."
“Although I was hurt to my core by the intense nastiness, I had absolutely no way to deal with that, so I shut down," she revealed.
Black, who is currently on tour after releasing her EP, Rebel, said she's now using her experience to help others.
"People still say hateful things about me, but it happens less often these days," she confessed. "Internet bullying is not inevitable, if we allow ourselves to learn a bit more and stand up for others and what’s right."
"Nobody needs to suffer in silence, like I did, for so many years. Talk to someone who can help, whether that’s a friend, a trusted adult or a mental health professional," she concluded. "Whatever a bully is saying about you is wrong. It didn’t feel that way when I was 13 and people were writing about how awful and undeserving I was, but I now know they were wrong."
ET recently sat down with YouTube star Bethany Mota, who also opened about being bullied. Watch below.
