JoJo (singer)

JoJo (singer)
Joanna Noëlle Levesque (born December 20, 1990), known professionally as JoJo, is an American singer and actress. She began performing in singing competitions and local talent shows as a child. In 2003, record producer Vincent Herbert noticed her after she competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids and asked her to audition for his record label Blackground Records. After signing with the label, JoJo released her eponymous debut studio album in 2004. It peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over four million copies worldwide to date.
With her debut single "Leave (Get Out)" peaking atop the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, JoJo became the youngest solo artist in history to top the chart at age 13. The song peaked at 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA along with its follow-up single "Baby It's You". Her second studio album The High Road (2006) spawned her first top-five Hot 100 hit "Too Little Too Late". The album was later certified gold, selling over three million copies worldwide to date. By 2007, JoJo had sold more than seven million records worldwide, including 2.1 million albums in the United States.
Record label disputes delayed JoJo from commercially releasing her third studio album; she released two mixtapes independently, Can't Take That Away from Me (2010) and Agápē (2012). After her contractual release, JoJo signed with Atlantic Records in 2014 and released her first commercial EP III (2015), followed by her third studio album Mad Love (2016), which became her third top-ten album in the US. She left Atlantic in 2017 and founded her record label Clover Music through a joint venture with Warner Records, where she re-recorded and re-released her debut and second albums as the label's first project in 2018. JoJo's fourth studio album Good to Know was released in May 2020, preceded by its first single, "Man". In October, she released her first Christmas album called December Baby.
In addition to her music career, JoJo has also pursued an acting career. In 2006, she made her on-screen feature film debut in Aquamarine and later starred in R.V.. She has also had guest appearances on the television shows The Bernie Mac Show (2002), American Dreams (2004), Romeo! (2006), Hawaii Five-0 (2011) and Lethal Weapon (2017). Other films JoJo has appeared in include the Lifetime Television film True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet (2008) and G.B.F. (2013). She made her Broadway debut in 2023 playing "Satine" in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Early life
Joanna Noëlle Levesque was born on December 20, 1990, in Brattleboro, Vermont, but raised in Keene, New Hampshire, and Foxborough, Massachusetts. She is of French-Canadian, English, Scottish, Irish, and Polish descent. Her father, Joel Maurice Levesque (January 8, 1955–November 14, 2015), sang as a hobby, and her mother, Diana Levesque (née Blagden) sang in a Catholic church choir and was trained in musical theater. JoJo's parents divorced when she was four years old, and she was raised as an only child by her mother. The name JoJo was a childhood nickname.
As a child, JoJo listened as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing when she was two years old by imitating everything from nursery rhymes to R&B, jazz, and soul tunes. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters.
In 1998, JoJo appeared on the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston with American comedian and actor Bill Cosby, and she sang a song by singer Cher. In 1999, she auditioned on the television show Destination Stardom, singing Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect" and "Chain of Fools".
In 2001, JoJo recorded a demo disc titled Joanna Levesque which features covers of soul and R&B songs. The following year, she performed on Maury during a "kids-with-talent" episode.
Career
2003–2005: JoJo
In mid-2003, JoJo competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kid (losing to Diana DeGarmo). Record producer Vincent Herbert contacted her and asked her to audition for Blackground Records.
In 2003, at age 12, JoJo signed with Blackground Records and its imprint Da Family Entertainment and began working with producers for her first album. JoJo's gold-certified debut single "Leave (Get Out)" was released in 2004. Following the single's release, JoJo embarked on her first tour, the Cingular Buddy Bash with pop rock singer Fefe Dobson, hip hop duo Young Gunz, rap rock band Zebrahead, and teen pop stars Ryan Cabrera and Busted. It stopped at nine malls, starting at Atlanta's Northlake Mall and ending at South Shore Plaza near her hometown of Foxborough. When the single reached number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, she became, at age thirteen, the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single in the United States. The first single was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, which made JoJo the youngest MTV Video Music Award nominee. Her first album, the platinum-selling JoJo, was released in 2004, peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number ten on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 95,000 copies in its first week and reaching the top forty of the UK Albums Chart. In September 2004, JoJo released her second single, the gold-selling "Baby It's You". The single version of the song features rapper Bow Wow. It peaked at number twenty-two in the U.S. and number eight in the UK. The final single from the album, "Not That Kinda Girl", was released in 2005 and peaked at number eighty-five in Germany.
In December 2004, she was nominated for Female New Artist of the Year and Mainstream Top 40 Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards, becoming the youngest artist ever to be nominated at the awards. Later that month, JoJo was requested by First Lady Laura Bush to perform on the 2004 Christmas in Washington special. In 2005, JoJo participated in "Come Together Now", a charity single to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. JoJo hosted and performed at the Hope Rocks Concert in 2005 to benefit City of Hope National Medical Center. In 2005, she was offered a role on the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, but she turned down the role in favor of developing her music career.
2006–2007: The High Road and acting
In 2006, JoJo was cast opposite Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in Aquamarine, playing Hailey. The film opened on March 3, 2006, opening at number five with $7.5 million. Her second major film, RV, a comedy starring Robin Williams, was released on April 28, 2006. It opened at number one and grossed $69.7 million.
JoJo's second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 108,000 units. It was produced by Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, J. R. Rotem, Corey Williams, Soulshock & Karlin and Ryan Leslie. It received mainly positive reviews. The album was preceded by the release of the single "Too Little Too Late" in the summer of 2006. "Too Little Too Late" broke the record for the biggest jump into the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, moving from number 66 to number three in one week; this record was previously held by Mariah Carey with her 2001 single "Loverboy", which went from number 60 to number two. The album's second single, "How to Touch a Girl", experienced less success. It charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 76 on the Billboard Pop 100. "Anything" was released as the third single and charted moderately in the UK. The album sold over 550,000 copies and was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2006.
On July 20, 2007, JoJo's version of "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston leaked on the internet titled "Beautiful Girls Reply". One month later, it was released as a promotional single and debuted at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart. In late 2007, JoJo stated that she would be writing songs for her third album, to be released when she turned 18. She said she wanted her fans to "see growth" in her music.
2008–2013: Label troubles, Can't Take That Away from Me, and Agápē
In an April 2008 interview, JoJo stated that she was writing and producing an upcoming album in Boston and Atlanta. On August 30, 2008, JoJo posted her own version of the song "Can't Believe It", originally performed by T-Pain. In August 2008, JoJo played the role of Morgan Carter in True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet which was broadcast on Lifetime Television. On June 3, 2009, JoJo stated on her YouTube account that she was waiting for her record label to sign a distribution deal to release her album which was to be titled All I Want Is Everything. In August 2009, JoJo filed a lawsuit against her record label Blackground Records and its imprint Da Family Entertainment for putting her in musical limbo. She reportedly sought $500,000 for damages and to be released from her contract. In October 2009, JoJo reached a deal with Blackground Records and her third album was to be distributed by Interscope Records. In late 2009, JoJo appeared on Timbaland's Shock Value II as a featured artist on the song "Lose Control" and as a background vocalist on "Timothy Where You Been" from the same album with the Australian band Jet.
In September 2010, JoJo released her first mixtape Can't Take That Away from Me which spawned the single "In the Dark". In late 2010, JoJo made cameo appearances in music videos for Keri Hilson and Clinton Sparks. In January 2011, JoJo was cast in an episode of CBS's Hawaii Five-0. In February 2011, JoJo announced that she had changed the title of her third studio album from All I Want Is Everything to Jumping Trains. She also announced that her upcoming single would be titled "The Other Chick" and that a music video for the song was in production. However, neither the video or single were officially released, with JoJo citing that both her and her label had a desire to move forward with a promotional push for a different song, following her recording of new material. In June 2011, she released a re-interpretation of rapper Drake's song "Marvin's Room", renamed "Marvin's Room (Can't Do Better)" through Rap-Up's YouTube channel. Drake himself expressed his appreciation for her interpretation.
On August 29, 2011, "Disaster" was released to U.S. radio. The song saw her continue in a similar style to her previous hits, which was praised by critics for not "jumping on the synthpop bandwagon", but also criticized for not showing much progression after a five-year hiatus. "Disaster" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 87, but fell off the chart the next week. The single failed to impact any chart internationally. In support of the single, she opened for the Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour. JoJo gave her first televised performance of the song on Good Day Dallas on September 29, and later performed on a small promotional tour for "Pinktober". A music video for the song premiered on JoJo's website in November 2011. In August 2011, JoJo signed a promotional deal with HeartSoul clothing to become the new face for their Fall/Winter collection. In December 2011, JoJo signed a deal with skin care brand Clearasil to become the new spokeswoman for Clearasil's PerfectaWash.
In October 2012, JoJo was cast and began working on the film G.B.F. JoJo was cast as Soledad Braunstein who is the President of the Gay Straight Alliance. The film was shot in Los Angeles over 18 days by director Darren Stein. In early 2012, JoJo toured with Big Time Rush for five dates of their Better with U Tour. A promotional single, "Sexy to Me", was made available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon on February 28, 2012. JoJo, wanting to go in a new direction with her third studio album, released "Demonstrate", produced by Noah "40" Shebib, to radio on July 17, 2012. It was intended to be the new lead single from Jumping Trains, but its commercial release as a single was eventually scrapped despite a music video having been filmed.
After Blackground Records lost their distribution deal through Interscope Records in late 2012, resulting once again in the delay of the release of an album, JoJo began recording new material specifically for a new mixtape to be released by the end of the year, as she "didn't want to keep the fans waiting for new music any longer". On November 15, 2012, she announced the release of a mixtape, titled Agápē, which means "unconditional love" in Greek. The project was released for free through digital download on her 22nd birthday on December 20, 2012. In support of the mixtape, JoJo embarked on her first headlining North American tour, The Agápē Tour. "We Get By" was released as the lead single from the mixtape on November 15, 2012. "André" was released as the second single from the mixtape on November 30, 2012; a music video for the song premiered on March 21, 2013, through Complex magazine.
2014–2018: Label changes, III., Mad Love and re-recording albums
On July 30, 2013, it was reported that JoJo had filed a lawsuit against her labels Blackground Records and Da Family for "irreparable damages to her professional career". Minors cannot sign contracts that last more than seven years under New York State law and thus she claims that as her contract was signed in 2004, her deal should have expired in 2011. In December 2013 both of JoJo's and Blackground's attorneys agreed to drop the case as both parties came to an agreement outside court. On January 14, 2014, it was announced that JoJo was released from her multi-year battle with the label and signed a new recording contract with Atlantic Records. On February 14, she released an extended play, titled #LoveJo, featuring covers of three classic songs, which were all produced by Da Internz. On March 16, 2014, she performed at SXSW.
On August 5, 2015, JoJo's website under Atlantic was relaunched. On August 20, 2015, JoJo released three singles simultaneously on the III. extended play, which she referred to as a "tringle", as a preview of her third studio album. In support of the release, JoJo embarked on the I Am JoJo Tour, her first world tour, in November 2015. On December 18, 2015, JoJo released the sequel to #LoveJo, titled #LoveJo2.
In May 2016, JoJo received co-writing credits on the single "Free Somebody" by Luna. In June 2016, Fifth Harmony announced that JoJo would be one of the opening acts on their 7/27 Tour. On July 27, 2016, JoJo released the lead single "Fuck Apologies", featuring rapper and label mate Wiz Khalifa. Mad Love, JoJo's third studio album was released on October 14, 2016, ten years following the release of The High Road. JoJo received co-writing credits on every track on the album. The album entered and peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number 6. In January 2017, JoJo embarked on the Mad Love tour, a four-month concert tour of North America and Europe.
In August 2017, JoJo announced her departure from Atlantic, in conjunction with announcing her new music venture, Clover Music, in a joint deal with Interscope. In April 2018, she announced the Leaks, Covers, & Mixtapes tour, which began on May 29. On December 21, 2018, JoJo released new versions of her debut album and The High Road, as well as her singles "Demonstrate", and "Disaster"—all with re-recorded vocals and slightly reworked production. The albums were the first releases from Clover Music, which was later announced have transitioned affiliation from Interscope to Warner Records.
2019–present: Good to Know and Trying Not to Think About It
On February 14, 2019, JoJo and R&B singer-songwriter PJ Morton released the single "Say So", a duet. "Say So" was included as the lead single on Morton's album Paul. On October 11, 2019, JoJo released the single "Joanna" alongside a music video for the song. On October 25, JoJo collaborated with Alabama rapper Chika on the single "Sabotage", which was intended to be the first single from her next album.
On May 1, 2020, JoJo released her fourth studio album Good to Know. Like her previous record, JoJo again co-wrote every song on the album. The lead single "Man" was released on March 13, 2020. On August 7, 2020, JoJo released "What U Need" as the lead single from the deluxe version of Good to Know, which followed on August 28, 2020. A tour supporting the album was set to begin in April 2021, but was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 2, 2020, she released "The Change", written by Diane Warren, to serve as the official anthem for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. On October 30, 2020, JoJo released her first holiday album and fifth studio album December Baby.
In 2021, JoJo competed on the fifth season of The Masked Singer as "Black Swan". She finished in second place and was the first female runner-up on the show. On September 24, 2021, Blackground Records and Empire Distribution re-released JoJo's original debut album and The High Road to streaming services. The re-releases took JoJo by surprise. JoJo does not profit financially from these re-releases and she instead encouraged fans to listen to her 2018 re-recordings of the albums instead, writing on Twitter: "A stream of the re-recorded 2018 version supports me and helps me continue to do what I love. Streaming the original unfortunately does not."
On October 1, 2021, JoJo released her sixth studio album Trying Not to Think About It, which was preceded by the single "Worst (I Assume)". It was followed by a six-date tour which started the next day. JoJo contributed to Stan Walker's 2022 album All In, collaborating on the song "Remember Us", which she also co-wrote.
On April 11, 2023, JoJo made her Broadway debut in the leading role of Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Artistry
Musically, JoJo is considered to be primarily a pop and R&B artist; however, the majority of her singles tend to lean more towards the former as a marketing tool. Prefix's Norman Meyers observed that "As an adolescent white girl singing mainstream R&B, her singles have leaned toward pop to snag sales ... But the list of producers on The High Road ... shows that Jojo is more concerned with harder beats and soulful sounds." JoJo is a mezzo-soprano and her singing voice has been widely acclaimed by music critics, one of whom ranked it among "the best in the game", while her R&B recordings have been compared to the likes of R&B singers Brandy and Monica. Describing her as a "vocal phenom", Entertainment Weeklys Leah Greenblatt enthused that JoJo is "capable of Mariah Carey-style upper-register flourishes". Vocally, critics frequently draw comparisons between JoJo and singers Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé, while Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani remarked that the singer "could very well be the next Teena Marie".
At times some of her material and use of melisma has been criticized for being overproduced and overused, respectively. Emma Morgan of Yahoo! Music dismissed JoJo as "mercilessly multi-tracked à la J. Lo, her voice encoded flatteringly as she too-many-notes her way through a succession of R'n'B beats and hooks that owe everything to studio wizardry and little to simple songwriting", lacking experience and soul. While admitting that JoJo is "surprisingly adept at frenzied, sexually possessed hollering", Alex Macpherson of The Guardian believes that the singer "is, however, at her best when compulsively dissecting emotional situations straight out of high-school movies via the medium of big, heartfelt choruses". Pegging JoJo as "a teen-pop star with an R&B singer's voice", Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times continued, "she can outsing much of the competition, but it also means more ballads ... and more not-quite-credible lovesick lyrics." JoJo's earliest memories of singing are performing songs by Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston for customers in hair salons. Her mixtape, Agápē, was influenced by musicians Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.
JoJo possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range, which Jordan Riefe of Maxim described as "better suited to R&B." Upon making her mainstream debut in 2004, critics immediately noticed that JoJo's vocal prowess and material exceeded her age. When she released her single "Demonstrate" in 2012, critics observed that both the singer's voice and lyrics had matured alongside her. Subsequently, JoJo's second mixtape Agápē drew attention from both critics and the singer's own family due to its mature content; Agápē features lyrical references to drinking, drug abuse and sex, which were absent from her previous "G-rated" releases. The mixtape also addresses her conflict with her record label. JoJo's early image followed popular trends related to hip hop culture at the time. The cover of JoJo's first album features the singer donning a T-shirt and cap, which Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine dismissed as "contrived and calculated". Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote, "Jojo is an assured and likeable performer who can somehow embody the yin-yang persona of a suburban cheerleader slinging hip-hop attitude." According to Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone, the singer "has become a role model to suburban adolescents who talk gangsta but still carpool to school in mom's Kia Sorento."The Guardians Alex Macpherson commented that "In an era of boozy Amys, gobby Lilys and flashing Britneys, a pop star as wholesome as JoJo seems almost quaint." Writing for Prefix, Norman Meyers believes that JoJo "could have been a Mean Girls extra, but she has talent" and "comes off more like a pint-size Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera than a hip-shaking Britney clone".
Personal life
JoJo lived in Edgewater, New Jersey with her mother, until age 18, when she moved out, living in Boston on her own for a year. As of 2014, she resides in Los Angeles. JoJo dated American soccer player Freddy Adu from May 2005 until September 2006. The couple met on the MTV show Fake ID Club while JoJo was hosting it. JoJo made an appearance in the commentary box at a New England Revolution home game when they were playing D.C. United. In November 2006, The Washington Post reported that the couple had split up. JoJo revealed on American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest that she and Adu were still good friends.
In August 2009, JoJo graduated from high school and stated that she would stay focused on future projects. She was accepted to Northeastern University and considered majoring in cultural anthropology but did not attend.
Aside from singing and acting, JoJo is also a supporter of various charitable organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, World Vision, She's the First, Make A Wish Foundation, and others.
In December 2021, JoJo announced her engagement to Saved by the Bell (2020) actor Dexter Darden.
Discography
Studio albums
JoJo (2004)
The High Road (2006)
Mad Love (2016)
Good to Know (2020)
December Baby (2020)
Trying Not to Think About It (2021)
Filmography
Tours
Headlining
The High Road Tour (2007)
Then & Now Concert Tour (2010)
Pinktober (2011)
The Agápē Tour (2013)
I Am JoJo Tour (2015–16)
Mad Love Tour (2017)
Leaks, Covers and Mixtapes Tour (2018)
Trying Not to Think About It Tour (2021)
JoJo Tour 2022 (2022)
As a special guest
Timbaland – Shock Value II Tour (2010)
As an opening act
Usher – The Truth World Tour (2004)
Joe Jonas/Jay Sean – Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour (2011)
Big Time Rush – Better With You Tour (2012)
Fifth Harmony – The 7/27 Tour (2016)
Awards and nominations
See also
List of people with reduplicated names
Clover Music
References
External links
1990 births
Living people
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
American child actresses
American child singers
American women pop singers
American film actresses
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American people of French-Canadian descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Polish descent
American people of Scottish descent
American sopranos
American television actresses
Child pop musicians
Singers from Vermont
People from Edgewater, New Jersey
People from Foxborough, Massachusetts
People from Brattleboro, Vermont
Universal Music Group artists
Atlantic Records artists
Interscope Records artists
Warner Records artists
Participants in American reality television series
Actresses from New Jersey
Actresses from Vermont
Wives and girlfriends of association football players
American contemporary R&B singers