JoJo is one of the most influential singers in pop music, from her earliest hits as a teenager to the present day. Best known for her endlessly hooky, R&B-styled pop tracks, JoJo is truly an uncompromising monument to survival in the pop music industry.
Born Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque in 1990 in Brattleboro, Vermont, JoJo grew up in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where she found her voice by listening to her mother singing church hymns. JoJo found stardom early in life, when she answered an ad in the paper announcing open auditions for the TV show "Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston." After impressing audiences on that program, JoJo was subsequently invited to appear on a series of talk shows and gospel festivals--even Oprah Winfrey reached out to book an appearance.
Following a spot on the TV show "America's Most Talented Kids," a producer named Vincent Herbert (Destiny's Child, Aaliyah) reached out and helped sign JoJo to Background Records. JoJo's first single, "Leave (Get Out)" dropped in 2004 and was an instant hit, going to No. 1 on the Billboard chart and making JoJo--who was only 13--the youngest solo artist to have a No. 1 single in the U.S. at the time. In 2004, JoJo also released her self-titled debut album, which opened at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It was around this time that JoJo's acting career also took off; a few years later, in 2006, JoJo was cast opposite Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in the teen comedy Aquamarine. The same year, JoJo starred opposite Robin Williams in her second major film, RV. JoJo also released her sophomore album, The High Road, in 2006. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of lead single "Too Little Too Late" and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.
Though JoJo struggled on and off with label politics, she persevered and eventually released her next project, the mixtape Can't Take That Away From Me (2010), independently. All the while, JoJo appeared on tracks with Timbaland ("Lose Control") and Jet ("Timothy Where You Been") and took on a handful of movie roles, including Lifetime's adaptation of Lola Douglas' True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.
In January 2011, JoJo appeared in an episode of CBS' revival of "Hawaii Five-0" and released a remix of Drake's song "Marvin's Room" and an original song, "Disaster." She also opened for the Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour and premiered a music video for the track. The next year, JoJo toured with Big Time Rush and released the promotional single "Sexy to Me." Also in 2012, JoJo began recording new music for a new mixtape called Agápē, meaning "unconditional love" in Greek. Agápē was released via digital download on JoJo's 22nd birthday, and JoJo launched the Agápē Tour in support.
Still dealing with label troubles, JoJo eventually signed a new contract with Atlantic Records in 2014. In February of that year, JoJo released the #LoveJo EP and embarked on the I Am JoJo Tour, her first world tour. In 2015, JoJo shared a follow-up EP, #LoveJo2.
In 2016, JoJo opened for Fifth Harmony on tour and shared a new single, "F*** Apologies" featuring Wiz Khalifa. Also in 2016, JoJo finally was able to release her third studio album, Mad Love. Ultimately, in 2017, JoJo left Atlantic and announced her own imprint, Clover Music, in partnership with Interscope. The next spring, she kicked off the Leaks, Covers, & Mixtapes tour.
On JoJo's 28th birthday, she announced plans to re-release her debut album with re-recorded vocals. The next day, she did exactly that--plus a re-release of her sophomore album The High Road. In 2019, JoJo took her Clover Music imprint to Warner Records and released the song "Say So" featuring PJ Morton. That fall, JoJo released the single "Joanna" and collaborated with Chika on "Sabotage."
In 2020, JoJo announced a new album, Good to Know, which dropped that May and featured lead single "Man." That fall, she released "The Change," penned by Diane Warren, which became the official anthem for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. JoJo's first holiday album, December Baby, was released the same year.
After postponing the Good to Know tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JoJo announced that she would launch the tour in 2022 after releasing a sixth studio album. In the meantime, JoJo has appeared on the fifth season of "The Masked Singer" as "Black Swan," finishing in second place. In summer 2021, JoJo announced a 12-song EP, Trying Not to Think About It, and went on a six-date tour in support.
