Mad Love (JoJo)

Mad Love is JoJo's third studio album that was released on October 14, 2016 by Atlantic Records.
The album is JoJo's first release in a decade since her 2006 album, "The High Road."
==Tracklisting==
#Music
#I Can Only (featuring Alessia Cara)
#F*** Apologies (featuring Wiz Khalifa)
#FAB (featuring Remy Ma)
#Mad Love
#Vibe
#Honest
#Like This
#Edibles
#High Heels
#I Am
Deluxe edition tracks
#Clovers
#Reckless
#Good Thing
#Rise Up
==Album Background==
Following the release of "Anything" (the last single released from her second album, "The High Road") in late 2007, JoJo stated that she had been writing and working with producers for her third studio album, but would not go into the studio until early 2008.
The album has spent a long time on hiatus, which was accompanied with a leak of many of its tracks; as of August 2011, 30 tracks had leaked, well over an album's worth of material.
The album was preceded by the extended play "III" (pronounced "tringle"), which was released on August 21, 2015. Following its release, JoJo embarked on her second worldwide headlining "I Am JoJo Tour" which saw her visit 23 cities nationwide with several international dates in Europe.
Initially the tour and the release of "III" was a reintroduction for JoJo into the industry with a major label backing that had been lacking from her previous label. During this time, a large portion of the album had already been recorded.
All three tracks from "III" were originally supposed to appear on JoJo's third album as the first three singles from the album that would each receive service to top 40 radio at different stages leading up to the impending album's release.
Subsequently, during the tour, JoJo's father, Joel had passed away in November 2015 due to struggles with addiction and she had also broken up with her boyfriend of two years.
Senior Vice President of A&R at Atlantic Records at the time, Aaron Bay-Schuck orchestrated the deal and was instrumental to JoJo's signing with the record label.
JoJo then began working on her third studio album for the label; however, on November 9, 2014 it was announced that Schuck would be leaving his position at Atlantic and was appointed the new President of A&R for Interscope Geffen A&M Records thus leaving JoJo without an A&R at the label.
In an interview with idolator, she spoke about how the change affected the albums development stating:
"The A&R that signed me, Aaron Bay-Schuck, left and went to Interscope... He called me and was like, 'I have this thing. I don't wanna leave you. I don't wanna lose you. But I need to go.' I said, 'I completely understand,' but then I was left at Atlantic again and just kind of didn't know what to do. So I was given a lot of songs, I was recording a lot of things that didn't feel completely 100% authentic to me. But then after losing my father and going on tour and going through that experience, I got back in the studio at the beginning of this year and was like, 'I’m a soul singer. If I’m not coming from my heart, what am I doing?' I was just going through the motions a little bit because I wanted my shit to come out so bad. I was trying to make other people happy".
Following the tour's conclusion in December 2015, JoJo took a six-day rest from work during the first week of January, where she booked a hotel and spent time with herself and re-evaluated her life. As a result, she was unhappy with the approach the album was taking and decided to "take control" and begun re-recording and re-writing the entire album to fit her new feelings and emotions.
This resulted in the Tringle becoming its own stand-alone project with majority of the albums re-recordings taking place over a six-month period at the top of 2016, with only a few tracks from earlier Tringle recording sessions making it onto the final album, "I Am." and "Good Thing.".
From September 9 to 15, 2016, JoJo uploaded short videos of her singing each song from the album on her Instagram account, revealing the track listing of the album.
Near the end of 2008, it was rumored that JoJo had parted ways with Da Family Entertainment and Blackground Records, and had signed a new record contract with Interscope Records.
In early 2009, JoJo denied the rumor, saying that she was still signed to Blackground Records. Later in June 2009, she confirmed that the album had been fully completed and would begin its promotion as soon as her record label finalized a new distribution deal.
After waiting for almost two years to get her album released, JoJo decided to file a lawsuit against her label in August of 2009. She was asking to be released from Da Family Records and to receive US$500,000 for her troubles. She won the case, and in October 2009, Blackground Records reached a distribution deal with Interscope Records.
When speaking of the label issues, JoJo said: "It was very frustrating. For a while I felt like, why am I continuing to go into the studio constantly if it's never going to be released? It was a very frustrating, stagnant place. I got discouraged at some points, but I just kept believing in what we kept trying to make happen and what I've been working my whole life towards. I was able to release music less through less nontraditional means, but I had to find a way to stay creative and express myself in spite of the legalities."
In late 2012, Blackground Records had failed to release JoJo's third album and lost its distribution deal with Interscope Records which put JoJo in limbo & unable to release any music at all because they controlled the money, promotion and masters of any recorded material.
In an interview with Buzzfeed speaking on the album's delay, JoJo stated, "I’ve recorded about three incarnations of this third album... We’ve chosen the track listing, we’ve done multiple album photo shoots, chosen the cover, chosen the credits, everything." However, every time her team tried to present the album to her label, they never received a response.
On July 30, 2013 New York Daily News reported that JoJo filed a lawsuit against Da Family Records and Blackground Records claiming that under New York State law, minors cannot sign contracts that last more than seven years. JoJo and her parents signed the contract in 2004 when she was 12 years old. She argued that her contract was up in March 2011.
She additionally claims the label failed to release her third album despite delivery and acceptance of many master recordings; and that they were not able to retain their distribution agreement, which was a requirement of the recording contract.
JoJo only released two of seven albums she signed to due to the label's dire finances; however, instead of freeing her and allowing her to sign with another label with more resources, Blackground wanted to keep JoJo under contract from signing with another label and making commercial success.
In mid December 2013, the lawsuit reached its conclusion with JoJo and Blackground settling outside of court, and subsequently, JoJo signed her new contract the following day. The agreement states that Blackground would own all the master copies of all recordings that JoJo submitted while still under contract, and in exchange, she would be released from her contract.
On January 14, 2014, the Los Angeles Times exclusively reported that JoJo had officially signed a new recording contract with Atlantic Records thus ending her exhaustive muilti-year battle with Blackground Records and its imprint Da Family Entertainment.
===Album Concept===
In mid-2008, JoJo revealed that the album (then-titled "All I Want Is Everything") was scheduled for a fourth quarter release that year, to coincide with her 18th birthday in December of that same year. The title was taken from the self-penned title track, which sums up her feelings about what she wants in life and how she can go about getting it as being an "inspirational anthem for everyone who has struggled and strives for more."
The song is featured on her first mixtape, "Can't Take That Away From Me" which was released on September 7, 2010 exclusively to Rap-Up.com.
In December 2010, it was announced that the album was no longer titled "All I Want Is Everything."
On February 28, 2011, JoJo revealed the new title in a viral video. According to her: "My third album will be called Jumping Trains and it's very symbolic for a variety of reasons... Moving from Boston to L.A., transitioning from being a girl to being a young woman, living on my own, taking a different direction sonically, and just really finding myself and just jumping into a new chapter of life."
Following the album's continuous delay with her label Blackground Records, JoJo filed a lawsuit against the label to get out of her contract and eventually signed with Atlantic Records, subsequently shelving all previous recorded material resulting in the album being written and recorded from scratch under Atlantic since February 2014.
During an interview with BBC Radio 1 in August of 2016, JoJo was hush about announcing any details, but stated that the album's title was two words first beginning with "M" and second beginning with "L."
In a follow-up interview on March 28, 2016 with Malcolm Music during her "I Am JoJo Tour" in Europe, JoJo spoke about a new song from album titled "Mad Love" calling it one of her "favorite songs" on the album suspecting fans to believe that was the album's title.
On July 28, 2016 it was officially announced that JoJo's third album would in fact be titled "Mad Love."
Speaking on the meaning behind the album's title, JoJo stated:
"Mad Love. means so many different things, and I loved that about the title. It was one of the first songs that I wrote for this album, and I felt like it kind of shaped the intention of it, of this work. And, a phrase that I use in my family a lot, we say, 'I love you madly.' That's that 'I love you through it all, I love you as you are, I love you in a crazy way, in a deep way, in a way that other people might not understand.' And that's how I feel about music, and that's what my relationship is with my fans, and it's an intense, passionate love. That's also the love that I like to have in my romantic life. So, all of that is represented on this album."
===Album Artwork===
On September 7, 2016 (just over a month away from the album's release), JoJo revealed the album artwork via her social media accounts and announced the album would be available for pre-order on September 16, 2016.
Unlike her previous albums (which both included a deluxe edition album with separate or modified artwork), a standard edition of the album artwork had been serviced to all markets.
JoJo appears on the cover, "looking fierce as ever" while the rest of the artwork is otherwise blurred by paint smears and blots of pink, green, and white hues with the album art direction and design created by Nick Malvone.
In early 2016, JoJo shot the album packaging photoshoot with Los Angeles-based photographer Brooke Nipar. The photos from the shoot and a series of promotional/press photos were gradually released online, while others were released with the revamping of JoJo's official website.
==Chart Performance==
"Mad Love" debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 album-equivalent units, of which 19,000 were traditional album sales in its first week. It charted three spots lower and with significantly lower sales than her second album.
It also debuted on the Current Billboard Albums & Billboard's Top Digital Albums chart at #4 and #2 respectively.
The album became JoJo's first entry on the chart in ten years. During its second week, it dropped from #6 to #111 on the Billboard 200 on the week starting November 12, 2016. In its third week, the album left the Billboard 200.
==Critical Reception==
"Mad Love" has received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, it has a score of 70 out of 100 based on 6 reviews.
Entertainment Weekly writer Nolan Feeney gave the album a B+ and wrote that JoJo's "well-documented struggles and triumphs inform her long-awaited third LP, Mad Love., and they turn her tales of love, friendship, and family into one bold coming-of-age statement".
Idolator writer Jon Reyes gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that JoJo is "sauntering in with Mad Love sounding totally refreshed".
Pitchfork writer Vanessa Okoth-Obbo gave the album 7 out of 10 stars and wrote that "Mad Love. sounds like an album that JoJo needed to make, and one that her fans were waiting for".
Andy Kellman of Allmusic called the album a "solid restart" and that "JoJo displays more than a decade's worth of growth here as a writer and singer."
==Promotion==
On June 6, 2016 (prior to any official announcements for release of her third album), it was announced that JoJo would be joining Fifth Harmony on their 7/27 Tour as a special guest opener in promotion for their second studio album. 
The North American leg of the tour begun on July 27, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire before concluding on September 17 in Las Vegas.
On July 27, 2016, JoJo uploaded a short video on her YouTube channel titled "Mad Love. 10.14.16", previewing "Music" and revealing the album title and release date.
On July 26, 2016, JoJo debuted a short YouTube video that delivered a preview of new material to come from her forthcoming album. In it, scenes flash in and out, from present day to her past, showing what an impact music has had on her throughout the years. 
The video also included a preview of a new emotional piano ballad titled "Music.". A more upbeat snippet of a song appeared at the end of the video later revealed to be the lead single.
The following day, JoJo announced the release of her new album through a shot of a pregnancy test and announced the first official lead single "F**k Apologies", through her official Facebook page.
On that same day, the song was released to all digital retailers for purchase. Following the release, the songs accompanying music video debuted on her official website the next day.
JoJo performed "F**k Apologies" for the first time live during her first stop on the 7/27 Tour closing her set with the song.
She also performed a clean acoustic version of the song on the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on August 1, 2016, along with a cover of Shawn Mendes' song "Treat You Better". 
On September 30, 2016, JoJo made her first televised performance of the song along with Wiz Khalifa on MTV's newest music show Wonderland, where she also performed albums cuts for the first time including "FAB." and "Mad Love."
On October 14, 2016, JoJo performed "No Apologies", the clean version of "F**k Apologies", on Today on October 14, 2016, and on Good Day New York on October 20, 2016. She shot her first live TV performance of "F**k Apologies." 
In late September 2016, JoJo previewed new songs from the album including "FAB." and "Mad Love." on Revolt TV's original concert show "Revolt Sessions" which aired on October 22, 2016.
A Remix EP of "FAB." was released on March 3rd despite not being serviced to radio as an official album single.
Category:2010s albums
Category:R&B
Category:JoJo albums