| JoJo | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque |
| Also known as | Joanna Levesque |
| Born | December 20, 1990 Brattleboro, Vermont, United States |
| Genre(s) | Pop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Label(s) | Blackground/Da Family, Universal |
| Website | www.jojoonline.com |
Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque (born December 20, 1990), professionally known as JoJo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame in 2004 with her platinum-certified, self-titled debut album, which has reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
Her second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006 and has reached number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. JoJo has sold more than 12 million albums and singles worldwide. She has also begun a film career, starring in two 2006 Hollywood films, Aquamarine and RV. She's currently working on her third album, All I Want Is Everything, which will be released in 2009.
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JoJo was born in Brattleboro, Vermont and raised in Keene, New Hampshire and Foxborough, Massachusetts. She has Scottish, Irish, English and Polish ancestry from her mother's side, and French Canadian, Irish, and Native American from her father's side. She grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Foxborough, in a low-income family. Her father, Joel Maurice Levesque, sings as a hobby, and her mother, Diana Levesque, sang in a Catholic church choir and was trained in musical theatre. Her parents divorced when she was three.
During her earlier years, JoJo would listen and learn as her mother practiced her hymns. She started singing when she was two years and 3 months old by imitating her mother, putting her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to R&B, Jazz and Soul tunes. On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers, her mother claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius IQ. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters.[1]
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". 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.[2] Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it came to performing, I just had no fear".
JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname.[3] After appearing on talk shows and the McDonald's Gospel Fest performing Whitney Houston's "I Believe In You and Me" 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.
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".
JoJo's platinum-certified[4] debut single "Leave (Get Out)" was released in 2004. Before the album's release, JoJo embarked on her first ever tour, the Cingular Buddy Bash with Fefe Dobson, Young Gunz and Zebrahead. The tour went to 9 Simon malls, starting at Atlanta's Northlake Mall and ending at South Shore Plaza. When the single reached number one on the Top 40 Mainstream, she became, at age thirteen, the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single in America. Her first album, the platinum-selling[4] JoJo, followed.
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 from the album, "Not That Kinda Girl", released in 2005, failed to make waves on the charts.
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.[5] 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.
In an interview with OK! magazine, JoJo stated that Beyoncé is her favorite singer and that she looks up to her. JoJo also stated in and interview that she has met Beyoncé and has expressed how much of an inspiration she is to her.
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, J. R. Rotem, Corey Williams, Soulshock & Karlin and Ryan Leslie. It has received mainly positive reviews.
On March 16, The Second JammX Kids All Star Dance Special broadcast a new song by JoJo entitled "Anything", which samples Toto's 1982 hit single, "Africa".[6] In the summer of 2006, the lead single from her second album, "Too Little Too Late", was released to radio stations. The album's second official single, "How to Touch a Girl", experienced less success. It charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number seventy-six on the Billboard Pop 100.
On July 20, 2007, JoJo's answer to Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston leaked on the Internet called "Beautiful Girls Reply". It debuted at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 Chart one month later.[7] JoJo left a message saying that she wanted her fans' input in deciding between "Coming for You" or "Let It Rain" as the next single. She 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.
Though there has not been an official tour, she has been performing with a live band as part of the Six Flags Starburst Thursday Night Concert series during the summer of 2007. During some of these shows she has included medleys of her favorite popular songs from Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, SWV, Gnarls Barkley, Jackson 5, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Usher, Carlos Santana, Jill Scott, Michael Jackson, George Benson, Musiq Soulchild and Amy Winehouse.
On December 1, 2007, JoJo won the Boston Music Award for National Female Vocalist of the Year for "Too Little Too Late".[8]
"The High Road" has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In late 2007 JoJo stated that she had been writing songs for her third album, which will be released when she turns eighteen.[9] JoJo says that she wants her fans to see growth in her music. She has also stated that she is looking for a publisher so that she can sing some of her self-written songs.
In an interview with BOP and Tiger Beat online, JoJo stated that she hoped to start recording a new album early 2008.
In a blog posted on Myspace February 10, 2008 she wrote that she is working on her third album and hopes to have it out by fall and a single before that. In an April 8, 2008 interview at the Hearst Tower for the "Ultimate Prom" party,[10] JoJo stated that she is writing and producing her new album in Boston and Atlanta. She has also lined up producers Tank, DJ Toomp, J. Moss, Toby Gad, The Underdogs, Danja, J.R. Rotem, Billy Steinberg, Bryan-Michael Cox, Marsha Ambrosius, Madd Scientist, Tony Dixon, Eric Dawkins and J. Gatsby.[11] In a July 3 interview, JoJo confirmed that out of three quarters of the finished material, she has written all but one song.[12] She also confirmed that it will be her most personal album to date with inspiration coming from her breakup with Adu to finding a new relationship, as well as feeling sexier and more confident in becoming a woman. The self-written title track is described as an inspirational anthem.[12] On August 30, 2008, JoJo posted her own answer version of the song "Can't Believe It", which originally performed by T-Pain.[13] On September 1st, JoJo posted a blog saying that her album would be coming out early 2009 as she had stated times before. She also let people know she is an R&B artist even though some like to call it pop.[13] In 2008, the R&B singer Ne-Yo sampled JoJo's second single "Baby It's You" from her self-titled debut album on his second single "Miss Independent" from his third album Year of the Gentleman.[14]
On Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, JoJo sang the National Anthem before Game 4 of the ALCS at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
JoJo has been acting since she was four. She did local theater, some radio, and tv commercials in the New England area, and then national TV shows from age seven onwards. JoJo made her professional stage debut aged eight in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the role of Mustardseed at the Huntington Theater. She received her first union card from the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA) at age ten.
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 with mediocre success at the domestic box office, opening at number five with $7.5 million.[15]
Her second major 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.[3] Since the success of the film, JoJo has revealed that there are currently no future plans to make a sequel.
She stated that "no one hired an acting coach for me 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.
On August 28, 2007, in an interview with BOP and Tiger Beat online, JoJo stated that she was working on a new film that was still under development. On September 10, JoJo revealed that she would be traveling to Toronto to film a small screen adaptation of Lola Douglas' True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet, to be broadcast on Lifetime television. Filming has already begun. She has stated that she was very excited to make this new film because it will be a different role for her.
JoJo's music will remain her main focus, as she has stated that she prefers singing to acting.
JoJo also frequently visits Foxborough, Massachusetts, where she was raised and still has family. JoJo, who has been home schooled for the past three years, has stated that "school was definitely a big part of my life". She performs well academically, receiving marks in the As and Bs.
JoJo dated American soccer player Freddy Adu from May 2005 until September 2006.[16] A 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.[17]
On February 28, 2007, she was ranked at number ten in the list of Forbes top twenty earners under 25 with an annual earning of $1 million.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Kids Say the Darndest Things | Contestant | Starring as JoJo |
| 1999—2000 | Destination Stardom | Contestant | Starring as JoJo |
| 2002 | Developing Sheldon | Young Elizabeth | Starring as JoJo |
| The Bernie Mac Show | Michelle | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | America's Most Talented Kid | Herself — performer | 1 episode |
| 2004 | American Dreams | Young Linda Ronstadt | 1 episode |
| Shark Tale | Herself | Starring as Joanna "JoJo" Levesque | |
| 2005 | Hope Rocks: The Concert with a Cause | Co-Host | made for television (Fox Television) , Starring as JoJo |
| 2006 | Aquamarine | Hailey Rogers | Starring as Joanna "JoJo" Levesque |
| RV (Runaway Vacation) | Cassie Monroe | Starring as Joanna "JoJo" Levesque | |
| Romeo! | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2007 | Punk'd | Herself | Season 8 - Episode 6 |
| 2008 | True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet | Morgan Carter / Claudia Miller | made for television (Lifetime Television) |
| 2009 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Sueakeal | Janette |
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