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Joanna Noëlle Levesque (born December
20, 1990), best known by her stage name JoJo, is an
American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record
producer, and actress.
She rose to fame in 2004 with her Platinum-certified,
self-titled debut album JoJo which reached number four
on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. JoJo has also begun a
film career, starring in two 2006 Hollywood films:
Aquamarine and RV. Her second album, The High Road, was
released on October 17, 2006. In the summer of 2007,
JoJo will be embarking on her The High Road Tour, in the
U.S. and Europe.
Early life: JoJo was born in Brattleboro, Vermont
and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Her father is
of French and Polish descent and her mother is of Irish
and Native American descent. She grew up in a
one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Boston, in a
low-income family. Her father, Joel Levesque, is a blues
singer and her mother, Diana, sang in a Catholic church
choir and worked as a house cleaner. Her parents
divorced when she was three, and she has since lived
with her mother in New Jersey. Her father lives in New
Hampshire.
During her earlier years, JoJo listened and learned as
her mother practised hymns. She started singing when she
was two years old by imitating her mother, putting her
own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes.
On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers,
Diana Levesque claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius
IQ. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American
festivals and acted locally in professional theaters.
After auditioning for the television show Kids Say the
Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston, JoJo was given a
spot to perform on the show, singing Aretha Franklin's
1967 hit "Respect". Host Bill Cosby and the
crowd at Faneuil Hall responded overwhelmingly to her
performance. Soon after, The Oprah Winfrey Show
contacted her, inviting her to perform. She also
performed on Maury, on one of the frequent
"kids-with-talent" episodes, as well as many
others. Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it
came to performing, I just had no fear".
Music career: JoJo's stage name comes from a
childhood nickname. After appearing on talk shows and
gospel festivals and competing on the television show,
America's Most Talented Kids, record producer Vincent
Herbert contacted her and asked her to audition for
Blackground Records. During her audition for Barry
Hankerson, Hankerson told her that the spirit of his
niece, the late singer Aaliyah, had brought her to him.
She was signed to the label, and had recording sessions
with famed producers like The Underdogs and Soulshock
& Karlin.
JoJo's live demo, Joanna Levesque, recorded in 2001,
features covers of several well-known soul/R&B
songs, including Wilson Pickett's 1966 "Mustang
Sally", Etta James's 1989 "It Ain't Always
What You Do (It's Who You Let See You Do It)",
Aretha Franklin's 1968 "Chain of Fools" and
1969 "The House That Jack Built", The
Moonglows' 1956 "See Saw", Stevie Wonder's
1972 "Superstition", and The Temptations' 1975
"Shakey Ground". The demo is sometimes
available on eBay.
JoJo (2004): JoJo's Platinum-certified debut
single "Leave (Get Out)" was released in 2004.
The track became an international hit, peaking at number
twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number two on the
UK Singles Chart, and number two on the Australian
Singles Chart. When the single hit number one on the Top
40 Mainstream, she became, at age thirteen, the youngest
solo artist to have a number-one single in America and
also the youngest nominee for a MTV Video Music Award
("Best New Artist" for "Leave (Get
Out)", in 2004).
Her debut album, the Platinum-selling
JoJo, followed; it peaked at number four on the U.S.
Billboard 200 and number ten on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop
Albums, selling about 107,000 copies and reaching the
top forty of the UK Albums Chart. The album has sold a
total of almost 1.5 million copies in the U.S. JoJo
co-wrote two of the album's songs, as well as wrote and
co-produced one full track. Her second single, the
Gold-selling "Baby It's You" — which
features rapper Bow Wow — peaked at number twenty-two
in the U.S. and number eight in the UK.
The final single off the album, "Not That Kinda
Girl", released in 2005, failed to make waves on
the charts. The song hit number eight on the TRL daily
countdown for one day but then fell from the charts,
never to appear on the countdown again.
In 2004, JoJo participated in "Come Together
Now", a charity single to benefit the victims of
the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina.
That year, she was personally requested by First Lady
Laura Bush to perform at the 2004 Christmas in
Washington special, broadcast by TNT and hosted by Dr.
Phil and his wife Robin McGraw. Despite performing at
other events for the Republican Party, she has stated
that she does not "agree with the things that
President George W. Bush has done in office. I'll leave
it at that". JoJo has also hosted and performed at
the Hope Rocks concert in 2005 to benefit City of Hope
Cancer Center and co-hosted the 2006 TV Guide Channel's
countdown to the Grammy Awards.
The High Road (2006): JoJo's second album, The
High Road, was released on October 17, 2006.
The album debuted at number three on the
Billboard 200 behind Diddy's Press Play and
Evanescence's The Open Door. It was produced by Scott
Storch, Swizz Beatz, Jonathan "J.R." Rotem,
Corey Williams, and Ryan Leslie. It has received mainly
positive reviews.
On March 16, The Second JammX Kids All Star Dance
Special aired a new song by JoJo titled
"Anything", which samples Toto's 1982 hit
single "Africa". In the summer of 2006, the
lead single from her second album, "Too Little Too
Late", was released to radio stations. The single
debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100 and,
in its fifth week on the chart, leapt from number sixty
to number three. It has also reached number one on
iTunes Top Songs after its release as a digital download
on September 12, 2006. "Too Little Too Late"
has been JoJo's most successful single in the U.S. so
far. It also showcases that JoJo is capable of hitting
notes in the whistle register. The October 27, 2006
issue of Entertainment Weekly refers to JoJo as "a
vocal phenomenon, capable of Mariah Carey-style upper
register flourishes". On November 2, 2006, JoJo
stated on her official MySpace page that her next
singles would be "How to Touch a Girl" and
"Let It Rain". However, she later stated on
her MySpace that the third single would be
"Anything" instead. JoJo has also stated that
she will be touring in the summer of 2007 in the U.S.
and Europe in support of The High Road.
Third album: JoJo has stated that her third album
will not be released until she turns eighteen because
she wants fans to "see growth" in her music.
Acting career: After appearing on the television
series The Bernie Mac Show and American Dreams, JoJo was
cast opposite Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in
Aquamarine, playing Hailey, one of two teenage girls who
discover a mermaid. The film opened on March 3, 2006 and
performed mediocre at the domestic box office, opening
at number five with $7.5 million. Her next film, RV, a
comedy starring Robin Williams, was released on April
28, 2006. It opened at number one and grossed $69.7
million. JoJo had to audition for the part five times,
and eventually replaced an actress who had already been
cast in the role.
JoJo had not had any professional acting training before
being cast in the roles, but was given an acting coach
on the set of Aquamarine. She will be billed as
"Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque" in her film roles,
but will still be credited as simply "JoJo"
for her music work.
JoJo was offered the role of the title character of
Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, but turned it down
because of her hectic schedule. JoJo's music will remain
her main focus, as she has stated that she prefers
singing to acting.
Personal life: JoJo and her mother reside in New
Jersey, and her recording studio is in Manhattan, New
York City. JoJo, who has been tutored for the past three
years, has stated that "school is definitely a big
part of my life". She performs well academically,
receiving marks in the As and Bs.
She dated then-D.C. United and current Real Salt Lake
soccer player Freddy Adu from May 14, 2005 to about
September 2006. The two met on the MTV show Fake ID Club
while she 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. Freddy Adu
registered an assist in that game. A The Washington Post
article in November 2006 reported that the couple split
after one year. JoJo mentioned on American Top 40 with
Ryan Seacrest that she and Adu were still good friends.
JoJo stated that she was single on the October 18, 2006
episode of Live with Regis and Kelly. She was also in
the October 2006 issue of Teen People magazine
confirming her breakup with Freddy Adu: "I'm single
right now and it's good. I'm so young. I'm going to be
16 in December and I'm just so busy. It's hard if you
also want to date someone who has a high-profile
profession; we were just both consumed with our own
world..." |
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