JoJo aka Joanna Noëlle Levesque, was born in 1990 and spent her early years living with her family in a one bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Boston in America. Her father sings blues and her mother performed in the church choir and in musical theatre. It was not a surprise when JoJo began singing at the age of two.
JoJo's debut single Leave (Get Out) was released in 2004 and the track became an international hit. When the single hit #1 she became, at 13 years old, the youngest solo artist to have a #1 single in America and also the youngest nominee for a MTV Video Music Award. Her self-titled debut album followed containing other hits like Baby It's You (featuring Bow Wow), Not That Kinda Girl and a cover of SWV's Weak.
JoJo has also dabbled in acting in films like Aquamarine alongside Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton, and RV co-starring with comedy legend Robin Williams. On top of that her new album, The High Road, is being released in the UK, which JoJo recorded with well-respected producers such as Scott Storch and Swizz Beats.
EUT: What is your second album like?
JoJo: It's called The High Road and I worked with a lot of people including Diane Warren and Billy Steinberg so it's quite eclectic ranging from hiphop to pop. I feel stronger as a vocalist and I feel it's a bit more mature. I'm not trying to shock anyone with the maturity; I've just grown up more.
EUT: What is the storyline behind How To Touch A Girl?
JoJo: That's a song I wrote with the guys who did Too Little Too Late with me. I feel like a lot of young guys of my generation feel like they don't have to be gentlemen and do old-fashioned things anymore. I like old-fashioned because I'm an old-fashioned kinda girl! In the song I'm saying '…do you have what it takes to touch my heart?' We're not talking about physical touching here so you catch my drift.
EUT: Let It Rain is a beautiful song. Tell me what it means to you?
JoJo: Thank you. Let It Rain was written by Makeba Riddick who did a lot for Beyonce's B-Day album. She's very multi-faceted. The song is about where you've had some problems with boys before but you need to let go of that pain and not let it affect your next endeavour or relationship.
EUT: Are you speaking from experience?
JoJo: Now I am! Recently I've been through a really trying time and had my heart broken seriously. But when it's too little too late, it really is and I relate to the words of that song even more now. When I'm performing Too Little Too Late with my band I'm singing it with a passion. I know I'm young but that doesn't mean you can't be in love or go through difficult times.
EUT: Why did you choose The High Road as the title of the album?
JoJo: There's a lot of temptation in this industry and in this life being a teenager. There's a song on the record called The High Road which I thought was pretty inspirational and powerful. In life I try to take the high road because it's more fulfilling and it's about being in it for the long haul. It's not about instant gratification.
EUT: You've brought in Scott Storch and Swizz Beats who are predominantly successful for their hip hop songs. Was that a conscious decision from you or the label?
JoJo: It was a label thing to be honest with you. Of course I'm familiar of their work and I am fans of their work for sure. I was a fan of Scott Storch when he was first starting out and when he worked with Christina Aguilera on her Stripped album. I thought that was a dope collaboration. Swizz sent over a track to me and I had it for a few months trying to play around with ideas. A few months later we laid it down and it sounded cool.
EUT: Are you feeling under pressure to deliver with this album?
JoJo: Definitely. I get bored with material easily so I like to change things up and better myself. I was ready to move on from that 12 year-old version of me and do something more mature to portray a young lady coming into herself. I recorded this album when I was 15 and was really happy at the time. I was in a relationship, was growing as a vocalist and doing well in school. I wanted to show that confidence on the record.
EUT: You covered Weak by SWV. Would you like to cover any other songs?
JoJo: I would love to do a Joni Mitchell cover. There are a few songs in particular of hers that I would like to record and one of them would be Blue which is a great song. My mom used to play her to me when I was younger so I would fall asleep. I love her all times of the day.
EUT: Both of your parents are singers. How have they influenced your career?
JoJo: Ever since I was in my mom's belly she's been playing music in the house and my dad would bring out the harmonica or guitar and be strumming along. My mom was a soloist in church and has a beautiful voice. They inadvertently instilled it in me and they never were like, 'sing little girl, sing!' and never pushed me to do something I wasn't comfortable. It was always me asking them and pulling on their sleeve like, 'can you get me on TV?'
EUT: What do you think the disadvantages are of being so young in the music business?
JoJo: I never try to downplay my age. When people ask me if I feel like an adult I just say no I don't because I'm not. That's a dumb question to ask whether I feel like an adult. I feel like some of the disadvantages are that you have to develop a thick skin and that's something that normally takes people a while to do. Within the last three years I've become jaded in a way and don't really trust people. I guess it's an asset but it's also a negative.
EUT: Do you get a lot of people assuming you're naïve?
JoJo: I want to believe the best in people and that they have my best interest or are telling me the truth. If someone told me the ceiling was navy blue when it's white I would think, '…is that navy blue? It might be from her perspective.' I'm just using that as an example but people do try to pull one over on me because of my age. Sometimes it works but most of the time it doesn't!
EUT: What do you like about being famous?
JoJo: I love travelling! I learn about these places in my history book and then I actually get to visit them which is very cool. I also love to perform live. It's something that I enjoy doing, especially with my band.
EUT: Who do you look up to?
JoJo: As far as her work ethic and progression with Destiny's Child I look at Beyonce and admire where her career is. Whitney [Houston] has one of the best voices of our time but there are some personal things that I'm not with. Her voice is unbelievable and she sent me flowers on my first album because she said that her and her daughter [Bobby Kristina] loved my record. I then met Bobby Brown and he was like, '…yo, we love your album and think you're great!' That really blew my mind.
EUT: I read somewhere that your mum said you have a borderline genius IQ. Is that true?
JoJo: I have no idea if that's true or not. I haven't been tested recently. I could be as thick as lead, who knows!
EUT: You've also acted in some films. Have you got any plans of doing more acting soon?
JoJo: Yeah, I've had some great meetings with some companies recently and there are a few things that are coming into fruition so I hope that we solidify them soon. It's a goal of mine to do at least one movie this year.
EUT: What would be your dream role?
JoJo: I think it would be fun to do a physically challenging action movie. I would also like to do a period piece where the costumes are elaborate and in a Victorian style. Pride & Prejudice was a beautiful movie.
EUT: When it all boils down to it you're just a normal girl! What do you like to do in your spare time?
JoJo: I like to spend as much time with my friends and family as possible and get some schoolwork in. I also like to support my home team in Boston and go to as many games as I can. I always make time to do my schoolwork and so does my mom. My tutor travels and works with me at home and we do all the subjects together. I'm going to apply for college next year and I will probably be doing Business or Communications.
EUT: You've achieved so much at such a young age. What else have you got to conquer?
JoJo: Many things. I'm the type of person who is never really satisfied. I respect and appreciate how far I've come but I'm always ready for the next thing. It's every American singer's dream to win a Grammy, I would also love to write and produce my next album. Eventually I would like to be completely hands on but that will take me knowing who I am first. I'd like to do something that could really touch people. I want to grow and not be over saturated. I don't mind taking my time I just want to do it right.
www.jojoonline.co.uk
www.myspace.com/jojoonline
Rashmi Shastri – May '07
