"I became unbelievably depressed and trapped in this body of what I thought the world would see me as forever when I hadn't even finished growing," she told Good Morning America in an exclusive interview.
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Black, now 22, was thrown into the spotlight at age 13 when the music video for "Friday" went viral and received an onslaught of negative media attention.
The attention, at times, had its perks: She appeared in the music video for Katy Perry's 2011 hit "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and won a Teen Choice Award.
With that attention came bullying, online and at school.
"Having people tell you that you don't belong where you want to be, that you should kill yourself ... Having to then, like, reflect on all of that as a teenager is an unbelievable experience," she said.
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On Tuesday, the song's ninth birthday, Black took to Instagram to share an emotional message to her fans -- and to her younger self.
"(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. 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 they'd never work with me. hell, to myself a few days ago who felt disgusting when she looked in the mirror!" the post read in part.
She said she's sharing this message now in hopes that her honesty could help somebody else.