The 13-year-old Anaheim Hills teen at the center of YouTube’s latest viral storm, Rebecca Black, says she was devastated by the first wave of negative online comments made by viewers of her music video “Friday,” currently at 16 million views and counting. “I think I broke down in tears just about then,” she tells the Orange County Register.

To her credit, after talking with her parents about the idea of removing the video from YouTube, Black decided to keep it posted. The daughter of two veterinarians recorded the infamous weekday ode in January, and was first alerted to the impending viral tide last Friday (ahem), March 11, when a friend texted that the video had been added to the blog for Comedy Central’s Tosh.O.

Another astute move by Black and her parents was to maintain ownership of the song by paying for a large part of the production costs. As a result, they will be reaping the rewards of “Friday” success on iTunes, as a ringtone, and beyond. Black also reveal plans to donate part of these proceeds to Japan earthquake relief and a musical theater program at her school.