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Singer and actress JoJo is known for her hooky, R&B- and hip-hop-influenced pop music. She rose to fame with her number four Billboard 200 debut, 2004's JoJo, which spawned the hit "Leave (Get Out)." JoJo has remained a chart regular, releasing albums like 2006's The High Road, featuring the platinum-selling single "Too Little Too Late," and 2016's number six Billboard 200 album Mad Love. She also moved into acting, including a starring in 2006's RV with Robin Williams, 2008's Lifetime movie True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet, and on the 2017 TV series Lethal Weapon. While diversifying her career, JoJo's sound has also evolved, as evidenced by her sophisticated fourth album, 2020's Good to Know.
Born Joanna Noelle Blagden Levesque in 1990 in Brattleboro, Vermont, JoJo grew up in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where she developed a love of singing by listening to her mother practice hymns. She initially started singing by imitating her mother, but she quickly put her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. An ad in the paper announcing open auditions for the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston led to the young singer wowing the audience along with the show's host, Bill Cosby, and eventually led to a phone call from Oprah Winfrey offering JoJo a spot on her show.
Appearances on talk shows and gospel festivals followed, but it was her appearance on the television show America's Most Talented Kids that brought the call from producer Vincent Herbert. The former Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, and Destiny's Child producer had the young singer signed to Blackground Records and arranged sessions with famed producers like the Underdogs and Soulshock & Karlin. Her platinum-selling eponymous debut album followed in June 2004. JoJo featured the hit "Leave (Get Out)," which reached the top spot on the Billboard charts, making her the youngest solo artist to have a number one single in the U.S. JoJo went on to add actress to her resumé, starring in the comedies Aquamarine and RV with Robin Williams.
In 2006, she released her sophomore effort, The High Road, which featured her platinum-selling single "Too Little Too Late." After The High Road, JoJo became embroiled in contractual disputes with her label, Da Family Entertainment, which lasted until 2009. Although she made guest appearances on songs by Timbaland and the rock band Jet, she wouldn't return to her own music until late 2010, when she self-released the mixtape Can't Take That Away from Me. She joined tours with Joe Jonas, Jay Sean, and Big Time Rush to support her new music; however, label issues returned, delaying the release of an official album.
In December 2012, JoJo released another mixtape, Agape, and embarked on a headlining tour. After filing a lawsuit against her label in 2013, she was finally released from the contractual delays that she claimed caused "irreparable damage" to her career and signed with Atlantic Records. She went on to release three EPs in 2015: #LoveJo, III, and #LoveJo2. Her third official LP, Mad Love, was released in 2016 with featured appearances from Alessia Cara, Wiz Khalifa, and Remy Ma. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.
In 2017, JoJo parted ways with Atlantic and launched her own Clover Music imprint with Interscope Records. The following year, she re-released her debut and sophomore albums featuring re-recorded vocals and some reworked production. She then moved Clover Music under the Warner Records umbrella for the release of her fourth studio album, 2020's Good to Know. Included on the record were the tracks "Man," "Lonely Hearts," and "Comeback" featuring Tory Lanez and 30 Roc. The album debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and landed at number 19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Also that year, she released the holiday-themed December Baby. In 2021, JoJo was a finalist on season five of The Masked Singer, where she competed as "The Black Swan." On the heels of her appearance, she released the song "Creature of Habit." ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung