jojo

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 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 next album, The High Road is scheduled for release on October 17, 2006.

Biography

Early life

JoJo was born in Vermont ^[1] and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts; she is of Native American, Irish, Polish, and French ancestry. ^[2] She grew up in an 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 ^[1] and worked as a house cleaner. Her parents divorced when she was four, and she has since lived with her mother in New Jersey; her father lives in New Hampshire.

During her early years, JoJo listened and learned as her mother practiced 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. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters. ^[3]

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 song "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. Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it came to performing, I just had no fear". Another of the many shows she performed on was Maury, on one of the many "kids-with-talent" episodes. ^[4]

Music career

JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname. ^[5] After appearing on talk shows and gospel festivals, after 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 late singer Aaliyah's spirit 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, which is only available on eBay, featured covers of several well-known songs, including Mack Rice's "Mustang Sally", Etta James's "It Ain't Always What You Do (It's Who You Let See You Do It)", Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools" and "See Saw", Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", "This Is The House That Jack Built", and The Temptations' "Shakey Ground".

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 and at number two on the UK Top 75 Singles. When the single hit number one on the Top 40 Mainstream, she became, at age 13, 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 Top 75 Albums. 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. JoJo subsequently cancelled her tours.

In 2004, JoJo participated in "Come Together Now", a charity single to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. 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 Bush has done in office. I'll leave it at that".^[6] 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 sophomore album The High Road, which features productions by Scott Storch, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, Jermaine Dupri, and Ryan Leslie will be released on October 17, 2006; ^[5]. On The Second JammX Kids All Star Dance Special, she premiered a new song entitled "Anything", which samples Toto's 1982 hit single "Africa". The lead single of the album is "Too Little Too Late", which debuted at number ninety and peaked at number three in the U.S. It has also found its way to number one on iTunes Top Songs after its release to the music downloading giant on Tuesday, September 13, 2006. JoJo has stated that her second single from The High Road will be an uptempo song. Fans have assumed that JoJo will release "This Time". AOL has given fans a preview of her album and have said the following:

"This Time" – JoJo sports a more urban flavor as she takes responsibility for a relationship gone bad.

"The Way You Do Me" – JoJo channels Beyoncé and stretches her voice to powerful new highs on this hip-hop-influenced cut.

JoJo has stated that her third album will not be released until she turns eighteen, citing that she wants audiences to "see growth" in her music.^[7]

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 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. ^[8] Her next film, RV, a comedy starring Robin Williams, was released on April 28, 2006. That film 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. ^[5]

JoJo has not had any professional acting training before being cast in the roles, but was given an acting coach on the set of Aquamarine. ^[7] 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's music will remain her main focus, as she has stated that she prefers singing to acting. ^[9]

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 3 years, has stated that "school is definitely a big part of my life". She performs well academically, receiving marks in the A's and B's. ^[9]

JoJo's friends include actresses Sara Paxton and Emma Roberts, whom she befriended on the set of Aquamarine, and actress Alexa Vega.

She has dated Ghanaian D.C. United soccer star Freddy Adu. 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. Recently E! News reported that the couple broke up.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Albums

Information about release dates and certifications are regarding to the U.S. ones.

Singles

References

• RIAA Searchable Database (U.S. Certifications)
• Billboard.com Artist Biography

Footnotes

Interviews

• MTV interview (February 28, 2006)
• About.com interview (February 23, 2006)
• News Times interview (November 29, 2004)
• Time For Kids interview (July 2, 2004)

External links

• Official U.S. website
• Official UK website
• JoJo at MySpace

• JoJo at All Music Guide
• JoJo at the Internet Movie Database