JoJo (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids JoJo
JoJo in 2023
Born	Joanna Noëlle Levesque (1990-12-20) December 20, 1990 (age 34) Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress
Years active	1998–present
Works	Discography songs videography tours
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Blackground Da Family Universal Wagram Universal Motown V2 Interscope Streamline Atlantic Clover Music Warner BMG

Joanna Noëlle "JoJo" Levesque (born December 20, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She started performing in singing contests and local talent shows when she was a child. In 2003, a record producer named Vincent Herbert noticed her. This happened after she appeared on the TV show America's Most Talented Kids. He asked her to try out for his record label, Blackground Records.

After signing with the label, JoJo released her first album, called JoJo, in 2004. This album reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It later sold over four million copies worldwide. This earned it a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Her first song, "Leave (Get Out)", became a huge hit. It reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. At just 13 years old, JoJo became the youngest solo artist to ever top this chart. The song also reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both "Leave (Get Out)" and her next song, "Baby It's You", were certified gold.

Her second album, The High Road (2006), included her first top-five hit, "Too Little Too Late". This album also went gold, selling over three million copies worldwide. By 2007, JoJo had sold more than seven million records around the world. This included 2.1 million albums in the United States.

JoJo faced problems with her record label, which delayed her third album. During this time, she released two mixtapes on her own: Can't Take That Away from Me (2010) and Agápē (2012). After leaving her first label, JoJo signed with Atlantic Records in 2014. She then released her first official EP called III (2015). Her third album, Mad Love (2016), followed. It became her third album to reach the top ten in the U.S.

In 2017, JoJo left Atlantic Records. She started her own record label, Clover Music, with Warner Records. As her label's first project in 2018, she re-recorded her first two albums. In 2020, JoJo released her fourth and fifth albums, Good to Know and December Baby. Her sixth album, Trying Not to Think About It, came out in 2021.

Besides music, JoJo has also acted. In 2006, she appeared in the movies Aquamarine and R.V.. She has also been a guest on TV shows like The Bernie Mac Show (2002) and Hawaii Five-0 (2011). Other films include True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet (2008) and G.B.F. (2013). In 2023, JoJo made her Broadway debut. She played "Satine" in the musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Early Life and Childhood Talents

Joanna Noëlle Levesque was born on December 20, 1990, in Brattleboro, Vermont. She grew up in Keene, New Hampshire, and Foxborough, Massachusetts. Her family has roots from French-Canadian, English, Scottish, Irish, and Polish backgrounds. Her father, Joel Maurice Levesque, enjoyed singing. Her mother, Diana Levesque, sang in a church choir and studied musical theater. JoJo's parents divorced when she was four. Her mother raised her as an only child. "JoJo" was her childhood nickname.

As a young child, JoJo listened to her mother practice hymns. She started singing at age two. She would copy everything from nursery rhymes to R&B, jazz, and soul songs. JoJo also enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acting in local professional theaters.

At age seven, JoJo appeared on the TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston. She sang a song by Cher with comedian Bill Cosby. After trying out for Destination Stardom, JoJo sang Aretha Franklin's hits "Respect" and "Chain of Fools". Soon after, The Oprah Winfrey Show invited her to perform. When she was eleven, she performed on Maury during a "kids-with-talent" episode in 2002.

Music Career Highlights

2003–2005: First Album Success

In mid-2003, JoJo competed on America's Most Talented Kid. She lost to Diana DeGarmo. However, record producer Vincent Herbert saw her and asked her to audition for Blackground Records.

In 2003, at age 12, JoJo signed with Blackground Records. She began working on her first album. JoJo's first song, "Leave (Get Out)", came out in 2004 and was certified gold. After its release, JoJo went on her first tour, the Cingular Buddy Bash. She toured with artists like Fefe Dobson and Bow Wow. The tour visited nine malls. When "Leave (Get Out)" hit number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, JoJo became the youngest solo artist to do so at age thirteen. The song was also nominated for Best New Artist at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. This made JoJo the youngest MTV Video Music Award nominee.

Her first album, JoJo, was released in 2004. It sold 95,000 copies in its first week. The album reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. It also made it into the top forty of the UK Albums Chart. In September 2004, JoJo released her second song, "Baby It's You", which also went gold. This version featured rapper Bow Wow. It reached number twenty-two in the U.S. and number eight in the UK. The last song from the album, "Not That Kinda Girl", came out in 2005.

In December 2004, JoJo was nominated for Female New Artist of the Year. She was also nominated for Mainstream Top 40 Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards. This made her the youngest artist ever nominated at these awards. Later that month, First Lady Laura Bush asked JoJo to perform at the 2004 Christmas in Washington special. In 2005, JoJo sang on "Come Together Now". This was a charity single to help victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. JoJo also hosted and performed at the Hope Rocks Concert in 2005. This event raised money for City of Hope National Medical Center. In 2005, she was offered a role on the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana. However, she chose to focus on her music career instead.

2006–2007: Second Album and Acting Roles

In 2006, JoJo starred in the movie Aquamarine as Hailey. The film opened on March 3, 2006. Her second big movie, RV, a comedy with Robin Williams, came out on April 28, 2006. It was the number one movie when it opened.

JoJo's second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006. It started at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was produced by famous names like Scott Storch and Swizz Beatz. It received mostly good reviews. The song "Too Little Too Late" came out before the album. This song broke a record for the biggest jump into the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It moved from number 66 to number three in just one week. The album's second song, "How to Touch a Girl", was not as successful. "Anything" was the third song released and did well in the UK. The album sold over 550,000 copies and was certified gold in December 2006.

In July 2007, JoJo's version of "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston appeared online. It was called "Beautiful Girls Reply". A month later, it was released as a special song. In late 2007, JoJo said she would write songs for her third album. She wanted her fans to "see growth" in her music.

2008–2013: Challenges and New Music

JoJo performing during the Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour in 2011

In April 2008, JoJo shared that she was writing and producing a new album. In August 2008, JoJo played Morgan Carter in True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet. This movie was shown on Lifetime Television. In June 2009, JoJo explained on YouTube that she was waiting for her record label to release her album. It was supposed to be called All I Want Is Everything.

In August 2009, JoJo filed a lawsuit against her record label, Blackground Records. She said they were preventing her from releasing music. She wanted to be released from her contract. In October 2009, JoJo reached an agreement with Blackground Records. Her third album was then planned to be released by Interscope Records. In late 2009, JoJo was featured on Timbaland's album Shock Value II.

In September 2010, JoJo released her first mixtape, Can't Take That Away from Me. It included the song "In the Dark". In January 2011, JoJo acted in an episode of CBS's Hawaii Five-0. In February 2011, JoJo announced she changed her third album's title to Jumping Trains. She also said her next song would be "The Other Chick". However, this song and its video were not officially released. In June 2011, she released her own version of Drake's song "Marvin's Room". She called it "Marvin's Room (Can't Do Better)". Drake himself liked her version.

On August 29, 2011, "Disaster" was sent to U.S. radio. Critics liked that she stuck to her style. However, some felt it didn't show much new growth after five years. "Disaster" briefly appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. To support the song, she opened for the Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour. JoJo performed the song on Good Day Dallas and a promotional tour. A music video for the song came out in November 2011. In August 2011, JoJo became the new face for HeartSoul clothing. In December 2011, she also became a spokeswoman for Clearasil's PerfectaWash.

In October 2012, JoJo started working on the film G.B.F.. She played Soledad Braunstein, the president of the Gay Straight Alliance. In early 2012, JoJo toured with Big Time Rush for some of their Better with U Tour dates. JoJo wanted to try a new direction for her third album. She released "Demonstrate" to radio in July 2012. This song was meant to be the main single for Jumping Trains. However, it was never officially released as a single, even though a music video was filmed.

After Blackground Records lost their distribution deal in late 2012, JoJo's album was delayed again. She decided to record new songs for a mixtape to release sooner. On November 15, 2012, she announced her mixtape, Agápē. The name means "unconditional love" in Greek. It was released for free on her 22nd birthday, December 20, 2012. To support the mixtape, JoJo went on her first main tour, The Agápē Tour. "We Get By" was the first song from the mixtape. "André" was the second song, and its music video came out in March 2013.

2014–2018: New Labels and Re-recordings

JoJo performing on the I Am JoJo Tour in 2015

On July 30, 2013, it was reported that JoJo sued her labels, Blackground Records and Da Family. She claimed "irreparable damages to her professional career". Under New York law, contracts for minors cannot last more than seven years. JoJo argued her contract, signed in 2004, should have ended in 2011. In December 2013, both sides agreed to settle the case outside of court.

On January 14, 2014, it was announced that JoJo was free from her long battle with the label. She signed a new record deal with Atlantic Records. On February 14, she released an EP called #LoveJo. It featured covers of three classic songs. On March 16, 2014, she performed at SXSW.

On August 5, 2015, JoJo's website under Atlantic was updated. On August 20, 2015, JoJo released three songs at once on the III. EP. She called this a "tringle." It was a preview of her third album. To support this release, JoJo started her first world tour, the I Am JoJo Tour, in November 2015. On December 18, 2015, JoJo released #LoveJo2, a follow-up to her previous EP.

In May 2016, JoJo helped write the song "Free Somebody" for Luna. In June 2016, Fifth Harmony announced that JoJo would open for their 7/27 Tour. Mad Love, JoJo's third album, was released on October 14, 2016. This was ten years after The High Road. JoJo helped write every song on the album. It reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. In January 2017, JoJo started the Mad Love tour. This was a four-month concert tour in North America and Europe.

In August 2017, JoJo announced she was leaving Atlantic Records. She also announced her new music company, Clover Music. This was a joint deal with Interscope. In April 2018, she announced the Leaks, Covers, & Mixtapes tour. It started on May 29. On December 21, 2018, JoJo released new versions of her first album and The High Road. She also re-recorded her songs "Demonstrate" and "Disaster". These albums were the first releases from Clover Music. The label later moved its partnership to Warner Records.

2019–2022: Recent Albums and TV Appearances

On February 14, 2019, JoJo and R&B singer-songwriter PJ Morton released the duet "Say So". This song was the first single from Morton's album Paul. On October 11, 2019, JoJo released the song "Joanna" with a music video. On October 25, JoJo worked with rapper Chika on the song "Sabotage". This was planned to be the first song from her next album.

On May 1, 2020, JoJo released her fourth album, Good to Know. Like her last album, JoJo helped write every song. The first song, "Man", came out on March 13, 2020. On August 7, 2020, JoJo released "What U Need". This was the first song from the deluxe version of Good to Know, which came out on August 28, 2020. A tour for the album was planned for April 2021. However, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 2, 2020, she released "The Change", written by Diane Warren. This song was the official anthem for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. On October 30, 2020, JoJo released her first holiday album and fifth album, December Baby.

In 2021, JoJo competed on the fifth season of The Masked Singer as "Black Swan". She finished in second place. On September 24, 2021, Blackground Records and Empire Distribution re-released JoJo's original debut album and The High Road to streaming services. JoJo was surprised by these re-releases. She does not earn money from them. She asked fans to listen to her 2018 re-recordings instead. She tweeted that streaming the re-recorded versions supports her.

On October 1, 2021, JoJo released her sixth album, Trying Not to Think About It. The song "Worst (I Assume)" came out before the album. A six-date tour started the next day. The album was also promoted with a 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, in 2022. JoJo also worked with Stan Walker on his 2022 album All In. She sang and co-wrote the song "Remember Us".

2023–Present: Broadway and New Music

On April 11, 2023, JoJo made her Broadway debut. She played the main role of Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. On February 9, 2024, she released a cover of the REO Speedwagon song, "Can't Fight This Feeling". This song was in the 2024 film Lisa Frankenstein, directed by JoJo's friend Zelda Williams. A music video came out the day before, showing clips from the film and JoJo singing.

On March 7, 2024, JoJo told People magazine that she would release new music later that year. She also announced her first memoir. On September 17, 2024, her memoir, Over the Influence: A Memoir, was released. "Porcelain" came out on October 2, 2024. The next month, she released "Too Much to Say". Her extended play NGL is set to be released on January 24, 2025.

JoJo's Artistic Style

JoJo in 2011

JoJo's music is mainly pop and R&B. Her songs often lean more towards pop to help with sales. Critics have praised JoJo's singing voice. One critic said it was among "the best in the game." Her R&B songs have been compared to singers like Brandy and Monica. Entertainment Weekly called JoJo a "vocal phenom." They said she could do "Mariah Carey-style upper-register flourishes." Critics often compare JoJo's voice to Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé.

Sometimes, her music and use of melisma (singing many notes on one syllable) have been criticized. Some felt it was too much. JoJo's earliest memories of singing are performing songs by Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. Her mixtape, Agápē, was inspired by musicians Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

JoJo has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. When she first became famous in 2004, critics noticed her strong voice for her age. When she released "Demonstrate" in 2012, critics saw that her voice and lyrics had grown more mature. JoJo's early style followed popular trends from hip hop culture. The cover of her first album shows her in a T-shirt and cap.

Personal Life and Interests

JoJo lived in Edgewater, New Jersey with her mother until she was 18. Then she moved to Boston for a year. As of 2014, she lives in Los Angeles. JoJo dated American soccer player Freddy Adu from May 2005 to September 2006. They met on the MTV show Fake ID Club. JoJo appeared at a New England Revolution soccer game. In November 2006, The Washington Post reported they had broken up. JoJo said on American Top 40 that they were still good friends.

In August 2009, JoJo graduated from high school. She said she would focus on her future projects. She was accepted to Northeastern University. She thought about studying cultural anthropology but did not attend.

Besides singing and acting, JoJo supports many charities. These include Boys & Girls Clubs of America, World Vision, She's the First, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In December 2021, JoJo announced her engagement to actor Dexter Darden from Saved by the Bell (2020). They ended their engagement the following year.

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)

Film and Television Appearances

Films and TV Movies

Television Shows

Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

• 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)

Special Guest Appearances

• Timbaland – Shock Value II Tour (2010)

Opening Act for Other Artists

• Usher – The Truth World Tour (2004)
• Joe Jonas/Jay Sean – Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour (2011)
• Big Time Rush – Better with U Tour (2012)
• Fifth Harmony – The 7/27 Tour (2016)

Broadway Shows

Books

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: JoJo (cantante) para niños