Archive

2005-01-04

 JOJO'S ENDLESS SUMMER

JoJo will be enjoying the summer sunshine when she travels to Australia next month. According to the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, JoJo will spend up to 10 weeks in Sydney shooting the film Aquamarine, which is about two girls who discover a mermaid at their beach club. JoJo is expected to stay at the luxurious beachfront community of Bondi.

The months of December, January and February are summertime in Australia. Temperatures in Sydney are expected to be almost 90 degrees today (January 4th).

JoJo will sing the National Anthem at tonight's FedEx Orange Bowl National Championship game on ABC.

2004-12-18

20 things about Jojo

1)       I am terrified of bugs!  (I mean, really, it's painful: I'm even scared of butterflies and ants...  I'm a sissy!)

 

2)       I occasionally use self-tanner...  (my make-up artist gets mad at me when I do!!)

 

3)       I lied to my mom about talking my vitamins when I was younger.  I used to hide them under the cushions in the couch.

 

4)       I have like 10 pairs of white on white Air Force 1's (I should throw most of them out, though - they're getting dirty!)

 

5)       I can't even hate on her - I love Hilary Duff's album.

 

6)       Everyone tells me I look like Lindsay Lohan - I swear, I don't see a resemblance!

 

7)       I have a crush on Bow Wow -he he- all my friends think he's gorgeous, too!

 

8)       Humm...  I like American Indian Flute music.

 

9)       Every night before I go to bed, I listen to a medley of Usher, R.Kelly, Tupac, and Aaliyah songs.

 

10)    When I feel like ROCKIN' OUT I listen to the Darkness' Permission to Land or Queen's Greatest Hits.

11)    One time, a guy asked for my number when I was at the movies with my friends.  I know it's wrong, but a gave him a number for this thing called the rejection hotline!  (oopsie daisy...)

 

12)    I bought a few purses on Canal Street...

 

13)    Sometimes when I'm at the Universal Records office in NY, I skip up and down the halls saying "what's up" to everyone.  (I know...  I'm strange.)

 

14)    I pluck my own eyebrows.

 

15)    I love Ben and Jerry's pistachio icecream...  LOVE IT!

 

16)    I call my mom "ma" - I think it's a Massachusetts thing.

 

17)    I lead people on to think that I'll do something when I know I probably won't do what I'm telling them I will.  (Does that make any sense?!?  I 'm confusing myself!)

 

18)    My favorite underwear I own is turquoise with the Sesame Street cast sitting on a rainbow.

 

19)    I did the 2^nd piercing in my left ear by myself.  (Literally, I'm a very strong willed person.  I sterilized a needle and just stuck it through.)

 

20)    I think aliens are cool.  I think about weird things like that often...  ARE WE ALONE?!?!?

 

2004-11-29

LOS ANGELES — So how did JoJo celebrate the recent platinum certification of her debut album?

"I just ordered a pizza," the 13-year-old singer said. "It was nothing really big, it was just that special moment."
"I just ordered a pizza," the 13-year-old singer said. "It was nothing really big, it was just that special moment."

A special

"I would really like to work with Dr. Dre ... because no one would expect that." — JoJo JoJo on "Not That Kinda Girl" JoJo on wanting to work with Dr. Dre JoJo "Baby It's You (feat. Bow Wow)" JoJo (Blackground/Universal Records) JoJo "Leave" JoJo (Da Family/Blackground/Universal Records)

moment JoJo would be happy to relive if her album goes double platinum or better. And she's doing her best to make that happen, planning a tour and preparing to release a third single.

The track she's leaning towards is "Not That Kinda Girl." "It's a great beat," JoJo said. "It just says that you are not impressing me with all the things that you have and all that, and I am not that kind of girl that's into those kinds of things."

Contending with "Not That Kinda Girl" is "Never Say Goodbye," an Underdogs-produced "beautiful ballad," according to the singer, who will make the decision in the next few weeks.

JoJo is also already thinking about her second album and declaring her wish list of collaborators.

"This is so weird, but I would really like to work with Dr. Dre ... because nobody would expect that," she added. "This really is the year of Kanye West, but I feel Dr. Dre is so amazing and I would love to work with him."

After portraying a young Linda Ronstadt on "American Dreams," JoJo also gained an appreciation for band-driven music. "They played the live instruments and it was all real," JoJo said. "And she had amazing vocals and I really appreciated that."

And speaking of acting, JoJo is set to shoot her first movie, "Aquamarine," in February. Co-starring Emma Roberts (Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous"), the flick will be based on the Alice Hoffman novel about two teenage friends spending their last summer together who find a mermaid in their beach club's pool and must find a way to safely get her back to sea.

"They're still casting, so I can't say much about it," JoJo said. "As far as acting goes, as long as it's [a role] I can do well, then I am all for it and willing to give it a try."

— Corey Moss

2004-09-13

Teen Pop Singer Jojo on Top of Charts
(AP, 06/08/2004 9:00 AM)

By Helena Payne

Jojo can't drive and she can't vote, but the 13-year-old whose debut single, "Leave (Get Out)," recently topped Billboard's singles sales chart can belt out a tune with the emotion of a diva.

At first listen, "Leave" — with teenage love-themed lyrics and a video set in a high school, just like Britney Spears ' first song — makes it seem Jojo has been prepackaged for another pop idol path.

However, Jojo prefers to downplay her age, and says the songs on her self-titled album, scheduled for release June 22, are for everybody.

"I talk about things that are real to teenagers, and to people in general," the Foxboro native told The Associated Press by phone from her new home in Edgewater, N.J. "It reaches a broad audience and that's important."

Jojo, born Joanna Levesque, said the album encompasses many genres, including the reggae-influenced "Baby It's You," which will probably be her second single. But it's primarily R&B-influenced, particularly with her cover of the hit 1992 SWV ballad "Weak."

Jojo belts out the hook over the phone, proving she could improvise a melody well enough to turn the heads of Beyonce or Christina Aguilera . And that's when Jojo's voice reveals an emotion that seems beyond her years.

"We go through things on a little smaller scale than adults, but still there's drama — and that stuff with boys," she said.

That's part of the reason Jojo loathes the term "child prodigy" and protests the contention that "she doesn't know what she's singing about."

But Jojo faces stiff competition in the competitive teen music market, as shows like "American Idol" regularly feature talented teenagers and young adults with star potential.

"Nothing is easy. That world does not exist in the world of contemporary pop music," said Steve Leeds, a promotion executive who has worked with record labels and MTV. "If you want it, you've got to make a commitment. You've got to work hard."

Former teen star Deborah (formerly Debbie) Gibson said a young artist also has to be wary of the flavor-of-the-day music industry.

"A record company will use you up, throw you out, and they'll be on to the next, but it's the parent's responsibility to make sure there's a whole sane human being left at the end of the day," said Gibson, who signed her first record deal at 16 and went on to record several hits, including "Only My Dreams" and "Foolish Beat."

Gibson said if Jojo remains grounded, works hard and has the right people to support her, she will have a good chance for success.

If Jojo isn't on guard, it's clear her manager-mother, Diana Levesque, is.

"I'm protecting her because this business is so notorious for being sleazy," Levesque said.

Perhaps that's why she turned down the first three major deals that her daughter was offered before signing with Blackground/Universal.

And when it comes to wardrobe, high heels and lyrics, "there's definitely been issues ... she's my little girl," Levesque said.

She has been protecting her only child for Jojo's entire life.

While many children her age were hanging out at the mall on weekends, Jojo was often on free or reduced-lunch programs. Her mother earned a living cleaning houses and singing for churches, and the two shared a bed in their one-bedroom apartment in Foxboro.

"My friends would want to go to the movies and go to the malls, and most of the time, I couldn't," she said.

Jojo performed any small gig she could find, and her mother would save her hard-earned money to make sure the two could afford travel expenses.

Eventually, Jojo began to make the kids TV show circuit. After an appearance on "America's Most Talented Kids," music manager James Womack heard Jojo's voice and introduced her to Da Family Entertainment's Vincent Herbert, executive producer of her album.

Now Jojo's preparing for a summer European tour with R&B superstar Usher.

"I was always so passionate about this," she said, adding that her mother did not always share the excitement. "I'm so glad she was like, 'Okay. I'll do this if you really want to.' And I really did."