JoJo life and biography

The pop singer JoJo became the youngest solo artist ever to have a number one Billboard single. "Leave (Get Out)," taken from the teen singer's first album, JoJo, struck a chord with like-minded teenagers who enjoyed hip-hop and R&B music as much as they did mainstream pop. A pop singer with an R&B soul, JoJo released The High Road in 2006, a successful and mature follow-up to her platinum debut. In addition to singing and songwriting, JoJo has acted in two major motion pictures, with more on the way. "She's got Ashanti's penchant for hip-hop soul, a dash of Pink's attitude, and Christina Aguilera's knack for oversinging," wrote Chuck Arnold in People.

Born Joanna Levesque on December 20, 1990, in Boston, Massachusetts, JoJo was raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts by her mother, Diana, after her parents divorced. A member of her church choir, Diana noticed JoJo's natural singing talent early on. By the time most children are just beginning to master the English language, JoJo was singing her heart out and appearing in local theater productions. Her mature vocal range was so impressive that in 1998 she appeared on Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things, where she wowed the audience with a wise-beyond-her-years rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect." To keep her daughter's momentum going, Diana packed up and the pair moved to California to test the waters.

JoJo was a natural to appear as a contestant on the television show America's Most Talented Kid. Although she did not win, JoJo was introduced to music producer Vincent Herbert, who would soon change her life. The relationship with Herbert landed the then-12-year-old singer a record deal with Blackground Records/Universal. In addition allowing JoJo to have a hand in co-writing some of her debut album's songs, Herbert enlisted a handful of top-notch producers and songwriters for the young girl's first foray into the music business. JoJo hit the streets in the summer of 2004, prefaced by the sassy first single "Leave (Get Out)." The candid song won an instant top spot on MTV's TRL show, causing Arnold to call "Leave (Get Out)" the "breakup anthem of the summer." When "Leave (Get Out)" hit the top of the charts, JoJo became the youngest artist ever to have a number one Billboard hit.

With a voice that reached the sweetest of R&B notes, JoJo also had a love of pop music. At times her style and song subjects appeared to be too mature for a 13-year old, but as JoJo told Time for Kids, she is careful that her album sends the right messages to her young fans. "You can be young and still have views and opinions … I think we should all come together, and that race and color or social demographics don't really matter. That's what I'm trying to say." "Leave (Get Out)" was followed by the single "Baby It's You," a playful track that featured teenager rapper Bow Wow. JoJo went on to sell over 1.3 million copies.

For much of the year following her album's release, JoJo appeared on television and toured the world to promote the record. She also dipped her toes in the movie world with two film roles in 2006. Filmed almost back-to-back, JoJo appeared as Robin Williams's daughter in the family comedy RV and had a supporting role in the tween mermaid flick Aquamarine. In her rare down time, at 15, JoJo found time to begin a romantic relationship with 16-year-old soccer star Freddy Adu, an African-American teenager from Ghana who lived in Maryland.

That summer JoJo returned to the west coast to start work on her sophomore album. "I want the world to see I'm here for the long run, and not some flash in the pan," JoJo stated on her website. Hip-hop producers Scott Storch and Swizz Beats, and Grammy-winning composer Diana Warren joined JoJo to create a collection of songs that spanned different styles and flavors. "I don't think teenagers listen to one genre of music," she said on her website, "so I wanted to do something people could groove to, chill to, connect to, and listen to again and again." The album that began to take shape included straight up ballads, party jams and hyper pop tracks. Known for his work with Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey, Storch produced the sizzling "This Time," while Warren offered the emotional ballads "Exceptional" and "Note to God." After nine months of work, in October of 2006 JoJo introduced her second full-length album, The High Road.

With its number three Billboard debut, The High Road was set for success. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Endleman noted JoJo's ability on The High Road, when he wrote that she is "a vocal phenom, capable of Mariah Carey-style upper-register flourishes." The High Road's initial single, "Too Little Too Late," was quickly followed up with "How to Touch a Girl," a track JoJo co-wrote with Billy Steinberg. "How to Touch a Girl" was penned about a real-life crush JoJo had on a boy who had no idea how to win over her heart. Though the song's title touches on the provocative, it was meant to be metaphoric. "I would never be graphic," JoJo expressed to CosmoGirl! about the song. "It's subtle, playful, and sexy. But it's not 21-year-old sexy-it's sexy how you would naturally be at 15." On December 20, 2006, JoJo turned 16 years old. "I want to maintain a (good) image," she admitted to CosmoGirl!, "but I'm not going to say pure because no one is perfect. I just want to be normal."

Discography

JoJo, Universal/Blackground Records, 2004.
The High Road, Universal/Blackground Records, 2006.

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