JoJo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other meanings, see Jojo.
| JoJo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Joanna Noëlle Levesque | |
| Born | December 20, 1990 (age 15) | |
| Origin |  Vermont/Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States |
|
| Genre(s) | Pop, R&B | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress | |
| Years active | 2004–present | |
| Label(s) | Blackground Records Universal Records |
|
| Website | JoJoOnline.com | |
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 second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
JoJo was born in Vermont and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[1] She is of Native American, Irish, Polish, and French ancestry.[2] She grew up in a 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 three, 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. On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers, Diana Levesque claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius IQ. 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. She also performed on Maury, on one of the frequent "kids-with-talent" episodes, as well as many others.[4] Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it came to performing, I just had no fear."
[edit] Music career
JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname.[5] After appearing on talk shows and gospel festivals 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. 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 self-titled live demo, recorded in 2001, features 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". The demo is sometimes available on eBay.
[edit] 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, number two on the UK Top 75 Singles, and number two on the Australia Top 100 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.
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 President George W. 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.
[edit] The High Road (2006)
On The Second JammX Kids All Star Dance Special, JoJo premiered a new song entitled "Anything", which samples Toto's 1982 hit single "Africa". In the summer of 2006, the lead single from her second album, entitled "Too Little Too Late", was released to radio. The single debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100 and, in its fifth week on the chart, made the biggest jump in the chart's history, going from number sixty to number three. 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. This song has been the most successful single of JoJo so far. It also showcases that JoJo is capable of hitting notes in the whistle register, the October 27, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly refers to JoJo in the review for her latest album as "a vocal phenomenon, capable of Mariah Carey-style upper register flourishes". JoJo's sophomore album, The High Road inspired by Meghan Brewer, 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. The album features productions by Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, Corey Williams, and Ryan Leslie. She has received mostly positive reviews for a solid sophomore album. On November 2, JoJo stated on her official MySpace page that her next singles will be "How to Touch a Girl" and "Let It Rain". JoJo has also stated that she will be touring in the summer of 2006 in support of The High Road.
[edit] Third album
JoJo has stated that her third album will not be released until she turns eighteen, citing that she wants fans to "see growth" in her music.[7]
[edit] 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 Hailey, 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 had 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]
[edit] 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 dated D.C. United soccer player Freddy Adu from May 14, 2005 to about September of 2006. The two met on the MTV show Fake ID Club while she was hosting it.[10]. 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.
JoJo stated that she was single on Live with Regis and Kelly, which aired October 18, 2006. JoJo was also in the October 2006 issue of Teen People magazine confirming her breakup with Freddy Adu: "I'm single right now and it's good. I'm so young. I'm going to be 16 in December and I'm just so busy. It's hard if you also want to date someone who has a high-profile profession; we were just both consumed with our own world...."
[edit] Discography
- Further information: JoJo discography
[edit] Albums
Information about release dates and certifications are regarding to the U.S. ones.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | UK | AUS | WOR | ARC | |||
| 2004 | "Leave (Get Out)" | JoJo | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| "Baby It's You" (featuring Bow Wow) | 22 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 5 | ||
| 2005 | "Not That Kinda Girl" | — | — | 52 | — | 30 | |
| 2006 | "Too Little Too Late" | The High Road | 3 | — | 17 | 17 | 1 |
| "How to Touch a Girl" | |||||||
| "Let It Rain" | |||||||
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | RV | Cassie Munro |
| Aquamarine | Hailey Cambridge |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Romeo! | Herself | "Ro' Trip Part 2" (episode 13, season 3) |
| 2004 | American Dreams | Young Linda Ronstadt | "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" (episode 9, season 3) |
| 2003 | America's Most Talented Kid | Herself | Season one - performer |
| 2002 | The Bernie Mac Show | Michelle | "Bernie Mac Dance Party" (episode 6, season 2) |
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b InsideBayArea. A few words with RV co-star JoJo. Retrieved on April 28, 2006. No longer online in original form - can now be partially accessed at [1]
- ^ A Girl's World. Getting “Aquatic” with JoJo. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
- ^ MTV.com. Aquamarine Outcast JoJo Had Help With Her Big-Screen Splash. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ Grabow. JoJo. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b MovieWeb. INTERVIEW: Joanna JoJo Levesque Talks RV. Retrieved on April 25, 2006.
- ^ YM Magazine. Artist of the Month: JoJo. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b About.com. Joanna JoJo Levesque Talks About Aquamarine. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ MTV.com. Grandma Madea Fights Off Bruce Willis, Holds Box Office #1. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b The Boston Herald. JoJo in La-La: Foxboro star sings praises of education. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ Wahl, Grant. "Q&A with Freddy Adu", CNN's Sports Illustrated, August 4, 2006. Retrieved on 2006.
- ^ a b InsideBayArea. A few words with RV co-star JoJo. Retrieved on April 28, 2006. No longer online in original form - can now be partially accessed at [2]
- ^ A Girl's World. Getting “Aquatic” with JoJo. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
- ^ MTV.com. Aquamarine Outcast JoJo Had Help With Her Big-Screen Splash. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ Grabow. JoJo. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b MovieWeb. INTERVIEW: Joanna JoJo Levesque Talks RV. Retrieved on April 25, 2006.
- ^ YM Magazine. Artist of the Month: JoJo. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b About.com. Joanna JoJo Levesque Talks About Aquamarine. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ MTV.com. Grandma Madea Fights Off Bruce Willis, Holds Box Office #1. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ a b The Boston Herald. JoJo in La-La: Foxboro star sings praises of education. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
- ^ Wahl, Grant. "Q&A with Freddy Adu", CNN's Sports Illustrated, August 4, 2006. Retrieved on 2006.
[edit] External links
| JoJo |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums: JoJo · The High Road |
| Singles: "Leave (Get Out)" · "Baby It's You" · "Not That Kinda Girl" "Too Little Too Late" · "How to Touch a Girl" · "Let It Rain" |
| Filmography |
| Aquamarine · RV |
| Related articles |
| Universal Records | Blackground Records |
Categories: 1990 births | American actor-singers | American artist-producers | American blue-eyed soul singers | American child actors | American child singers | American film actors | American pop singers | American rhythm and blues singers | American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters | American television actors | Living people | Massachusetts musicians | People from Norfolk County, Massachusetts | People from Vermont | People known by single-name pseudonyms | Rhythmic Top 40 acts | Whistle register singers
