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Don't call her a Child Prodigy http://www.mtv.com/bands/j/jojo/news_feature_070604/

[08.10.04] JoJo Going Hip-Hop, And Maybe Even Hollywood [mtv.com]

[06.15.04] JoJo: The New Kid with the Big Voice [USA Today]

06.07.04-Entertainment World Exclusive: 20 Things About JoJo...[entertainmentworld]

03.26.04- JoJo, 13, Aim's to be Reality TV's Next Idol [mtv.com]

JoJo: Don't Call Her a Child Prodigy [mtv.com]

      Teen singer JoJo (her full name is Joanna Levesque) released her first album last month. The album, called JoJo, has quickly shot up to number four on the Top Albums Chart. The first single, Leave (Get Out), is the top video on MTV. TFK Kid Reporter Danielle recently had the opportunity to chat with the 13-year-old singer and songwriter about music, friends, school and what she does for fun.

TFK: When did you know you wanted to be a singer?

Danielle sits down with JoJo.

JoJo: I’ve known since I was two. We moved from the south of Boston to California almost two years ago. I have been in shows all my life. I did a show called America’s Most Talented Kids and a guy in the audience introduced me to the executive producer of my album. So, singing is always something I wanted to do.

TFK: How would you describe your sound? How is it different from other popular teen music we're hearing right now?
JoJo: It’s definitely R & B influenced. It has a little bit of an edge to it. How is it different from other teen music? Well, I was fortunate enough to write three songs on the album. Blackground/Universal cared about what I was thinking, and I had a lot of input on this album.

TFK: What is the message you hope to send kids and adults alike through your new album?
JoJo: Well, for teens, that you can be your own person and a strong female. 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 really don’t matter. That’s what I’m trying to say.

TFK: You wrote three of the songs on this album. How do you go about composing a song? What inspires you?
JoJo: Well, actually, I’m given tracks to write the lyrics and melody. The track for Keep On Keepin’ On just spoke to me. I was sitting by the pool where I live now, thinking ‘Well, I didn’t always have a pool to sit by. It wasn’t always good like this.’ So, I was thinking that it can’t be bad for so long, because I grew up poor. Things will get better soon so you have to Keep On Keepin’ On.

TFK: What do you like more: Writing or singing?
JoJo: I like both. I like having the freedom to write a song, but it’s also fun working with writers and producers because we have secret handshakes and we eat junk food and it’s like family. Also, I like putting my own spin on a song that someone has written for me.

JoJo is busy touring this summer. She is the opening act for Usher.

TFK: Which recording artists do you most admire and why?
JoJo: I really like Kanye West and The Darkness. The Darkness does a song called I Believe in a Thing Called Love; they’re kind of retro 80’s, screaming hair bands. I’m more of a hip-hopper, but I like rock sometimes and I like pop, so I try not to limit myself. I like Justin Timberlake. I even like Hilary Duff! I was surprised to find that I like her album!

TFK: How did you put your own spin on your single, Get Out?
JoJo: Well, it was my idea to add the words ‘leave’, ‘loser’, and ‘why’ in the background and also to make the harmonies more soulful.

TFK: What's it like to be a teen and in the business already coming out with a CD? Is it tough to balance being a regular kid with show business?
JoJo: I go to a school called SYP (School for Young Performers) where they supply a tutor wherever I go, so we definitely take care of the educational part. I have work and then I have school on top of it so it’s twice as hard.

TFK: What are your favorite and least favorite school subjects?
JoJo: I really like social studies. I like to learn about culture, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. I like some science. I like learning about animals, water, the earth and stuff like that, but I cannot deal with chemistry! At this point in my life, math is just my enemy, because my teacher tries to drill it in my head and I just can’t get it!

TFK: Do you have any other hobbies besides singing?
JoJo: I like hanging out with my friends every chance I get. I just got back home and saw my friend perform in a play. I actually sneak into school dances because I like to be with my friends!

TFK: What's your worst habit?
JoJo: I bite my fingernails. That’s probably not a good thing.

TFK: If you could meet anyone you wanted, who would it be?
JoJo: I’d like to meet Bow Wow. I’m quite fond of him, but also Justin Timberlake because he’s cute too. I’d like to meet cute boys like Ashton Kutcher and that guy in Smallville (she's talking about Tom Welling). (I'd even like to meet) Christina Aguilera, because she doesn’t seem restricted, she speaks her mind and I do respect her on that level. And she’s a very talented singer.

TFK: What are your goals for this album and for the future?
JoJo: I hope that my album goes number one and hopefully I’ll have a lot of success with this. And, maybe I’ll win a Grammy and record a second album and third, fourth, and go multi, multi-platinum!

09/01/2004

By Billy Johnson Jr

Just because new soul-pop sensation JoJo is only 13 years old doesn't mean she doesn't deserve respect. She may be young, but one listen to that robust, soulful voice of hers and it's obvious that this child is wise beyond her years. And when she came to LAUNCH's studios for an interview with urban editor Billy Johnson Jr., her composure in front of the camera and her well thought-out answers further revealed her unusually high level of maturity. And that's a good thing, as such maturity ought to help her stay grounded and balanced as she deals with the sudden fame that her self-titled smash debut album--out on Aaliyah's old record label, Blackground--has brought her.

What follows is a transcript of Billy and JoJo's conversation, which covers everything from JoJo's humble beginnings on Cosby TV to the making of her album, from her relationships with family and friends to her continual struggle to prove herself in an adult's world. Read on to hear what this precocious preteen had to say.

LAUNCH: So to start off, I want to talk to you about your voice. I read that you used to do jazzy renditions of nursery songs--is that true?

JOJO: Yeah, I would listen to "Jack And Jill" and Winnie The Pooh and I would jazz them up and put riffs on the end and things like that. I mean, I was kind of crazy. I would listen to all kinds of music, 'cause my mom sang opera and church music and Broadway and stuff like that, and my dad just sang blues for fun. So all kinds of music were in my house.

LAUNCH: But you would make these remixes of songs from your own imagination?

JOJO: Yeah, I think it was just from listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin...but then I also heard, like, Winnie The Pooh and "Jack And Jill," and I would just, I guess, put them together.

LAUNCH: Can you sing an example?

JOJO: Oh, goodness, it was a while ago! I have, like, video tapes that were made when I was a lot younger, like 2 and 3, just singing for my family, but I can't really...

LAUNCH: No, don't worry, that's fine. So did you sing in church, too?

JOJO: No, but I would watch my mom sing in church.

LAUNCH: At one point did you realize that you could really sing?

JOJO: Well, my mom had always supported me, and I always loved to sing, and the fact that I was good at it was just kind of an added bonus. So I did some TV shows and things like that, which just added to my self-confidence, 'cause I mean, as a girl you always don't have the biggest confidence.

LAUNCH: Did you enjoy listening to the big singers, like Ella Fitzgerald, as a child?

JOJO: I did enjoy listening to them. My mom introduced them to me, but then I was the one that was like, "Play that again! Let's listen to that again!"--to the point where we'd just play it over and over and over and over again, and I would learn every single song, and every riff they did. In the beginning I would copy it, but then as I got older I would do different things to them and make the songs my own.

LAUNCH: You mentioned that you did some TV shows. Weren't you on Bill Cosby's Kids Say The Darndest Things?

JOJO: That is so embarrassing! I mean, I look back on those shows, and I was so excited to do them; I was like, "Yeah, come on, let's do this!" But now, as I'm older, I'm just like, "What was I doing? What was I doing?"

LAUNCH: How old were you when you did that show?

JOJO: The first time that I did Kids Say The Darndest Things, I think I was 7. I did it twice: first on the road in Boston, and then I was invited back for The Best Of Kids Say The Darndest Things in California. So that was my first assignment off the East Coast, and I think I was 8 when I did that.

LAUNCH: Were you nervous about being filmed, or about meeting Bill Cosby?

JOJO: No, because I was fearless! [laughs] Like, I would sing for anybody who would listen--so I just went out there and was like, "It's on."

LAUNCH: Was that the first big show that you did that got the ball rolling?

JOJO: Yeah, that was basically the first thing, and it led to other things like Rosie O' Donnell and some talent shows and things like that.

LAUNCH: Were you just doing it for fun, or did you know you wanted to be a professional?

JOJO: It was fun, but it something like a passion that I had; I knew I didn't always want to be doing TV shows, like "talented kid" shows. I wanted to be doing this as a featured artist, like I'm fortunate enough to be doing now.

LAUNCH: Didn't you sing Aretha Franklin's "Respect" on one of the episodes of Kids Say The Darndest Things? That's a powerful song! What was the response to you, a little kid at the time, singing Aretha?

JOJO: Um, I think people were kind of surprised--this little white girl coming on and singing "Respect"! But it was no different to me, because I don't really see color, and I don't hear it--whatever, I just sing what I like to sing, and it's always been like that.

LAUNCH: You have such a mature voice. Has this always been the case?

JOJO: It has, but I think I'm starting to grow into my voice now, because when I was younger, I didn't really know how to control it. Now I'm starting to get a handle on it. But yeah, I always had a pretty soulful voice.

LAUNCH: Your album is a very soulful record--is this the record that you've been dreaming of making?

JOJO: It really is. This record has just been just so fun to make. I recorded it last summer, and I mean, I had been offered deals before this, but we didn't take them; I was a lot younger, and people just didn't really understand the vision. They just wanted me to do straight bubblegum pop, because it was really popular at the time, and I just wasn't comfortable with that. Blackground and the Da Family and Universal just really understood what I wanted to do, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

LAUNCH: I'm really impressed when I meet young people like you who are turning down deals, that there's that kind of integrity.

JOJO: Yeah, you just have to hold out, because I wanted to do it right. If I didn't do it right, then it wouldn't have been worth it, and I wouldn't have been happy. And I'm so happy in the situation that I'm in.

LAUNCH: Was there any temptation to take that first record-deal offer?

"All the songs on the album I can relate to. People say, 'You're young, you don't understand,' but if people knew what went on in junior high and high school, then they would probably understand."

JOJO: Yes, yes. Me and my mom and I thought about it for nights and talked to our family about it, we contemplated, and when we turned it down, I cried, but after all of that, it was just worth it, because I wouldn't have met these wonderful people that I'm working with now.

LAUNCH: What was different with Da Family and Blackground about how you were going to approach it?

JOJO: Well, I met Vincent Herbert, who's the executive producer and president of Da Family, a few days after I did America's Most Talented Kids. 'Cause James Womack, who was a man in the audience, he introduced us to him. So, the day after we met him, he wanted to bring me into the studio that night, but he brought me into the studio the next day. We recorded the song, and just the creative chemistry was so incredible. We wrong the song together--we wrote "Sunshine," which is a track on the album, together. That was the first song I had ever recorded with him. It was so incredible, like, I cried after I heard that, because it was just so what I wanted to do, so right in everything, and they just really understood.

LAUNCH: Being able to write three songs on your debut album is incredible. And the irony is "Sunshine," the first song you recorded, is one that ends up making it on the album.

JOJO: Yeah...I mean, we recorded a lot of songs, actually 30-something songs. And we had to cut it down to how many we have now, so I was really happy with it.

LAUNCH: In one song, "Keep On Keeping On," the message is very powerful, and I know you wrote that based on what your family was going through at the time...

JOJO: Yeah, well, "Keep On Keeping On" is a song about just going through hard times and knowing that it can't be bad for so long; there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I wrote it by a pool in the apartment complex that I'm living at now, and I was thinking, "Well, I wasn't always this fortunate--there wasn't always a pool!" So I was just kind of writing it based on where I was and where I am now. I bet a lot of people are going through that--what I went through.

LAUNCH: How long have you been writing songs?

JOJO: Well, I've been writing stories and stuff since I could write--since I could, like, physically write. And I was just always just really creative. But songwriting? It'd be, like, three or four years. My dad taught me to play a little guitar, and I would write songs with him, and then I started writing on my own.

LAUNCH: Do you think you need to play guitar now?

JOJO: You know, I kind of fell back on it, which is really not very good, but I can still play a few chords.

LAUNCH: How was the transition to songwriting?

JOJO: Well, actually, people give me tracks to write to, like the music to write to, and then I write the lyrics and the melody. So really, the track just speaks to you--does it make you feel sad, or happy, or mad? And I write based off of that.

LAUNCH: Your first single, "Leave," has a realistic storyline. As such a young person, have you ever experienced wanting to get rid of a guy?

JOJO: You know, I have. All the songs on the album I can relate to. People are saying, "You're young, you don't understand." But I do. I mean, if people knew what went on in junior high and high school, then they would probably understand. You know, we go through things that older people go through, just on a slightly smaller scale. So I can relate to all the songs in one way or another.

LAUNCH: On a couple of your songs, I caught on to the message that it's not about the bling-bling...

JOJO: Um, it's not about that, but it's good to say that you can get that for yourself. You don't need anybody else to get that for you.

LAUNCH: Do you think that's an important message?

JOJO: Yeah, I think it's important that young people have someone to listen to that's positive and not talking about materialistic things. I mean, I like nice things, obviously, but yeah, I think it's important to not be all about the flashy stuff.

LAUNCH: How did you come about remaking SWV's "Weak"?

JOJO: Actually, I went to the studio one day, and I had no idea what I was recording. Vincent just told me, "OK, go to the studio." So I was there with my mother, and Brian Morgan was there--Brian Alexander Morgan, who was the original writer and producer of "Weak." I didn't really know who he was, and we introduced ourselves. He's like, "You know what you're doing today, right?" I'm like, "No." [laughs] He said, "You're going to do 'Weak.'" I'm like, "Are you kidding me?" I love that song; I've always loved that song ever since I heard it. It's always been, like, one of my favorite songs. And I called Vincent up. I'm like, "Vince, why didn't you tell me I was doing 'Weak'?" And he's just like, "I wanted it to be a surprise." And it was a great surprise. I had so much fun recording that song. It was just kind of magical, because it just really fit in as far as the album and the direction we were going in.

LAUNCH: Did you meet Coko from SWV when she did some of the vocals?

JOJO: I did. We went into the studio, just a week ago maybe, in New York. And she got to come in, and we got to be in the booth together. She's such an incredible singer, I didn't even know--I did not know she was that incredible. She was doing things I would never even think of. Coko was really supportive, and really excited that someone did SWV's "Weak." And I was just really honored that she could be there and we could record the remix together. It was just a really nice experience.

LAUNCH: How do you feel generally about how you've been received?

JOJO: It's humbling. It's just exciting that people like my music and they like what I do. I'm always having to prove myself, though, because I am young, and people think I'm just there to sing. But I actually have something to say, and I can speak, and I write. So that's kind of the hard part.

LAUNCH: I would think that once people hear your voice that most of the proving yourself would be over--is that not the case?

JOJO: It's not the case. People question, like how do I know about what I'm singing about? Did I really write this? All kinds of things. And yes, I do know what I'm singing about!

LAUNCH: Singing and performing are just a small part of the business, so what kind of advice have you gotten, or lessons have you learned, that help you with the other stuff?

JOJO: My mom just tells me to keep a small head! She doesn't want my head getting big, because she's like, "JoJo, you know, I can take you out of this situation." Like, she's always telling me, "If you don't want to do this, let's just stop." 'Cause she would so much rather be in Massachusetts, and be like a soccer mom. I'm like, "Mom, this is so what I'm passionate about." So she's just always trying to keep me grounded, and I am really thankful for that, actually. Just everyone around me is just keeping me to the ground.

LAUNCH: How has your parents' singing background enhanced what you do?

JOJO: Well, my parents are part of everything I do. My mom comes everywhere with me--she's my manager, actually. So she definitely gives me her input on how I sound, or what I should do here or there. And most of the time I listen; sometimes I disregard. [laughs] But that's just a normal part of being a teenager. My dad is wonderful. He lives in New Hampshire, and he's so supportive, and I'm really happy.

LAUNCH: What do you like the most about all of this stuff?

JOJO: All of this stuff? I really like meeting new people; it's really fun to meet fun, positive people. That's a really fun part. And then obviously performing is so much fun. Getting the feedback from the audience, and even if the audience isn't really feeling you [laughs], you just go out there. And I have fun with my dancers, and I'm really fortunate to have people around me that I actually like being with. 'Cause if I didn't, that would really suck.

LAUNCH: Have you had any situations where you didn't get the initial audience reaction that you wanted, so you had to adapt to get them more excited?

JOJO: Yeah, you just need to, like, step up your game if the audience really isn't feeling you. Which is sometimes hard to do! You're just looking around, like, "Hello over there, you're not listening to me! But it's just a part of it. You need to gain their respect, I guess.

LAUNCH: Blackground also put out Aaliyah. Were you a big Aaliyah fan, and what does it mean to be on the same label she was on?

JOJO: I always loved Aaliyah. I have all her albums and I listen to them all the time. When we met with Barry [Hankerson, Aaliyah's uncle and Blackground Records' founder], it was kind of like a spiritual thing, almost. It may sound kind of weird, but when we met with him, we all started crying. Because the similarities between me and Aaliyah and my mom and her mother are just incredible. And it just seemed, like, right that I was at Blackground.

LAUNCH: What are your hobbies outside of singing?

JOJO: Well, when I'm not doing this--and I'm usually doing this all the time [laughs]--but when I have a free day, I usually hang out with my friends in New Jersey. I have a really good group of friends that I like to hang out with, and I still keep in contact with people from Massachusetts. Whenever I can, I'll go to the movies, or I'll go mini-golfing, or to the mall, and I just spend every minute I can with them.

LAUNCH: What do you see in your future?

JOJO: I would love to write for other people; that would be great. I just see myself hopefully even growing into a bigger artist, and doing a bunch of things...maybe even acting one day. But when I do it, I want to do it right. I want to make sure it's the right role, and the right time, and all that stuff. But you never know.

LAUNCH: How did you get your name, JoJo?

JOJO: JoJo's always been a nickname of mine. And it just seemed, like, right that that would be my name. We all just kind of unanimously decided that it was going to be JoJo.

Jojo:Don't call her A'Child Prodigy'

She's just your average,everyday, 13-year-old pop singer

Thirteen-year-old Joanna Levesque — a.k.a. JoJo — couldn't have a much better pop-singer pedigree. The child of a church-singing mother and a blues-singer father, she was raised on Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Whitney Houston, began freestyling on nursery rhymes as a toddler, and made her television debut at the age of 6 on "Kids Say the Darndest Things," where she bowled over host Bill Cosby with her rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect."

Bitten by the performing bug, the young singer performed everywhere from "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" to the Republican National Convention. But JoJo's big break came after her appearance on "America's Most Talented Kid" — she didn't win, but an audience member approached her after the show and hooked her up with producer Vincent Herbert (who's worked with Destiny¹s Child, Toni Braxton and Deborah Cox). She later signed with Blackground Records, whose founder, Barry Hankerson, compared JoJo to his late niece, Aaliyah. But although there are plenty of hitmakers on JoJo's self-titled debut album, she's also a songwriter herself, and three of her songs are featured on the LP.
The singer recently completed a European tour opening for Usher (who no doubt understands the life of a rising teenage pop singer) and her album roared into the Billboard albums chart at #4 in its first week of release. MTV's Curtis Waller caught up with JoJo recently to talk about music, movies and success.

MTV: How was your European tour with Usher?

JoJo: Great! He's so talented and he's the nicest guy. There is not one bad thing I can say about Usher: He takes the time to stop and say hi and ask how I'm doing, and everybody in his camp has been great to me.

MTV: How are the audiences in the U.S. different from audiences in other countries?

JoJo: Well, overseas my record isn't really [being played]. Only in some places in Germany, it's just starting. So going over there was a very different experience, [having] to win them over with them not knowing you. But the audiences have been great and very receptive and embracing. And it'll be interesting to do shows back here, now that I'm on "TRL" and more visible to people. I can't believe that I'm in the company of people like Eminem and D12 and Usher. I'm in a great sandwich right now: I'm in between Eminem and Usher, and that's beautiful.
MTV: Did you watch "TRL" growing up?

JoJo: Absolutely!

MTV: Tell me what "Baby, It's You" is about.

JoJo: It's just talking about wanting a guy for him and not the things he can offer, as far as money and taking you places and things like that. I think all people can relate to it, and that is what we set out to do with this album.

MTV: There's a cover of SWV's "Weak" on the album.

JoJo: Well, SWV is one of those great female R&B groups of the '90s and Vincent Herbert, who's the executive producer of this album, kind of surprised me with the idea one day at the studio. Brian Morgan, who originally [produced] "Weak" for SWV, was at the studio and he was like, "Do you know what song you're doing? You're doing 'Weak,' " and it just made sense. It completed the album, it was perfect and it was a nice throwback, because people remember it and they're like, "That was my song just a few years ago."

MTV: Have you met SWV since you recorded the song?

JoJo: I met Coko. We recorded a remix with her on it. I don't think it's on the album but maybe if it is released as a single, it'll be [on the B-side]. She's very nice — her voice is crazy. I did not even know. She has this incredible range. She was really pleased that I did her song and she said that I did it justice, and that meant a lot to me.

MTV: And what's "Leave" about?

JoJo: "Leave" is a song declaring your independence. All people can relate to it: I have little 11-year-old girls coming up to me like, "I just broke up with my boyfriend. That song really helped me and it means so much to me." [She laughs.] I have girls and guys of all ages telling me that they enjoy it.

MTV: You close your live set with it. Do audiences go crazy when the song starts?

JoJo: Yes. From the moment they hear the [she sings] "Da da da da da...," they get really excited, and it's really cool when I see people singing along to the words. It's like no other feeling.

MTV: "Breezy" seems to be a pretty strong statement as well.

JoJo: Some people might be scared of it. [She laughs.] I was scared of it when I heard it was gonna be the first track on the album because it's kind of in-your-face. It's one of the more hip-hop tracks, and it's telling a girl to fall back because she's trying to get with your boyfriend.

MTV: What music are you listening to now?

JoJo: [Laughing] People look at me like I'm crazy, I swear to God, when I tell them this, but I'm listening to R. Kelly right now, and he's just a musical genius. I think he is absolutely incredible. I listen to all his albums, from 12 Play to Chocolate Factory. He just thinks outside of the box and he keeps reinventing himself musically. I think that's incredible. That's what I'm listening to — take it or leave it.

MTV: Have you seen any recent movies that you liked?

JoJo: You know what? I haven't had the chance to see any movies lately. I would really like to see "Harry Potter." I was really into the books and I would like to see that. I saw the first one, but I didn't see the second one so I'll have to get caught up. But the books are really good and it's easy to get sucked into that Harry Potter world.

MTV: What can fans expect to see at your show?

JoJo: Well, I have four dancers and a DJ, so you can definitely expect a fun show and vocals — because I do sing live.

MTV: Since you're singing to [pre-recorded music tracks], are you looking to get a live band?

JoJo: We would really like to do that, but you know, as far as the industry right now and budgets and stuff like that, it's crazy and it's tight. But I think that we're working with what we have and it's going to be a great show regardless.

MTV: Having started in the business at such an early age, you must really be in tune with what is going on.

JoJo: I absolutely am and my mom makes sure that I am, because she wants me to know what's going on with my money and what's going on in the industry. And I have great people on my side and I think that counts for a lot. It's still fun, but it's not all fantasy — you have to know the realities of it.

MTV: Is it difficult being such a young artist?

JoJo: The term "prodigy," and especially "child prodigy," kind of bothers me. I just think that I shouldn't be treated any differently than other artists. I happen to be a bit younger, and I don't think I should be cut slack, because I can work just as hard as anybody else can ... just maybe under child-labor laws. [She laughs.] I definitely want to explore more of my singing and writing and producing and things like that. I think that as you grow and your audience grows, you change and evolve.