JoJo (singer)

This article is about the singer born in 1990. For the singer born in 2003, see JoJo Siwa. For others, see Jojo § Musicians.

JoJo
A woman with dyed-red hair, red lipstick, and red dress (cleavage visible), has an open smile. Lighting cast upon her leaves the background dark.
JoJo in 2023
Born
Joanna Noëlle Levesque

(1990-12-20) December 20, 1990 (age 33)
Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • philanthropist
Years active1998–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Labels
Websiteiamjojoofficial.com

Joanna Noëlle "JoJo" Levesque[1] (born December 20, 1990)[2] is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She began performing in singing competitions and local talent shows as a child. In 2003, record producer Vincent Herbert noticed her after she competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids and asked her to audition for his record label Blackground Records. After signing with the label, JoJo released her eponymous debut studio album in 2004. It peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over four million copies worldwide to date.[3]

With her debut single "Leave (Get Out)" peaking atop the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, JoJo became the youngest solo artist in history to top the chart at age 13. The song peaked at 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA along with its follow-up single "Baby It's You".[4][5] Her second studio album The High Road (2006) spawned her first top-five Hot 100 hit "Too Little Too Late". The album was later certified gold, selling over three million copies worldwide.[6] By 2007, JoJo had sold more than seven million records worldwide,[7] including 2.1 million albums in the United States.[8][9]

Record label disputes delayed JoJo from commercially releasing her third studio album; she released two mixtapes independently, Can't Take That Away from Me (2010) and Agápē (2012).[10][11] After her contractual release, JoJo signed with Atlantic Records in 2014 and released her first commercial EP III (2015), followed by her third studio album Mad Love (2016), which became her third top-ten album in the U.S. She left Atlantic in 2017 and founded her record label Clover Music through a joint venture with Warner Records, where she re-recorded and re-released her debut and second albums as the label's first project in 2018.[12][13][14] In 2020, JoJo released her fourth and fifth studio albums Good to Know and December Baby, followed by her sixth studio album Trying Not to Think About It in 2021.

In addition to her music career, JoJo has also pursued an acting career. In 2006, she made her on-screen feature film debut in Aquamarine and later starred in R.V.. She has also had guest appearances on the television shows The Bernie Mac Show (2002), American Dreams (2004), Romeo! (2006), Hawaii Five-0 (2011) and Lethal Weapon (2017). Other films JoJo has appeared in include the Lifetime Television film True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet (2008) and G.B.F. (2013). She made her Broadway debut in 2023 playing "Satine" in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.[15]

  1. ^ Messer, Lesley (March 24, 2014). "Why Singer JoJo Would Never Go By Her Real Name". ABC News. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Roth, Madeline (December 20, 2018). "JoJo Just Rerecorded 'Leave (Get Out)' and 'Baby It's You' for Our Nostalgic Thrill". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Roberts, Ceri (October 11, 2019). "JoJo Begins a New Chapter with "Joanna"". Warner Records. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "JoJo". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum – January 01, 2011". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  6. ^ "Pop Star JoJo Makes Atlantic Records Debut With Simultaneous Release of Three New Singles" (Press release). Atlantic Records. August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016 – via Marketwired.
  7. ^ ""Jumping Trains" With JoJo (Multi-Platinum Recording Artist)". arthurkade.com. March 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  8. ^ "JoJo grows up". Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  9. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 9, 2007). "Ask Billboard – End of the 'Road?'". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  10. ^ "New Music: JoJo – Agápē [Mixtape]". Rap-Up. December 18, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "Mixtape Premiere: JoJo – "Can't Take That Away From Me"". Rap-Up. September 7, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "JoJo Released from Blackground, Signs with Atlantic Records". Rap-Up. January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  13. ^ "JoJo Released from Blackground, Signs with Atlantic Records". Rap-Up.com. August 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "JoJo Rereleases Her First Two Albums". Rap-Up. December 20, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  15. ^ Gans, Andrew (February 23, 2023). "Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque Will Make Broadway Debut in Moulin Rouge! The Musical". Playbill.