Joanna Levesque was born on the 20th of December 1990 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Her mother, a church soloist and theatre performer, would sing hymns when Joanna was a baby. She grew up being a big fan of Whitney Houston, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Ella Fitzgerald. A few years later she wanted to show her talent to the world and found an audition for "Kids Say the Darnedest Things". She appeared at the audition and was allowed into the episode on the spot. Then, at Bill Cosby's request, she performed "Respect" for the audience, and got an amazing response from Cosby. That's when the calls started pouring in. First Oprah Winfrey asked her to appear on her super popular talk show, followed by the Republican National Convention, the Boston Celtics, and Rosie O'Donnell. But it was at the 2001 Gospelfest that she brought an entire crowd to its feet. Next she auditioned for America's Most Talented Kid competition. She didn't win but she met a man named James Womack, who introduced her to an executive at Da Family entertainment. She signed with them, and was offered two contracts before finding her match with Blackground records. Before her single "Leave (get out)" came out she toured with the prince of R'n'B Mr Usher Raymond himself. Finally her single came out and went directly to the top of the American charts.
A singer. A songwriter. A prodigy. With just a few notes, she’s made some of the most influential men and women in America stop in their tracks to find her, and meet her. She possesses a rare talent that has enchanted talkshow hosts, celebrities and audiences throughout the United States. And she’s determined to take the music world by storm.
After being signed to Blackground, JoJo spent the next four months recording tracks for her self-titled debut in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, working closely with famed producers such as Soulshock & Karlin (Whitney Houston, Craig David), Vincent Herbert (Destiny's Child, Toni Braxton), Mike City (Brandy), Brian Morgan (SWV), The Underdogs (Tyrese, Ruben Studdard), and writer Static (Aaliyah, Ginuwine). "It was a great experience working with them in the studio. Everyone had such an incredible vibe, and that comes through in the songs," JoJo enthuses. The album showcases JoJo's talent, not only as a singer, but as a songwriter as well. She penned three tracks for JoJo, including: "Keep On Keepin' On", "Yes or No", and "Sunshine". Her favorite cut, "Keep On Keepin' On" is especially close to her heart. "It was really hard when I was younger. We were the lowest income people in our town," she explains. "My mom and I lived in a rundown one-bedroom apartment and we lived off very little money. I wrote "Keep On Keepin' On" because I knew I wasn't the only one going through hard times," she says. The final product is an album infused with assured, confident vocals and lyrics that speak way beyond JoJo's tender years. The ballads are deep and soul-filled, and the up-tempo tracks are bumping and make you want to dance. Her music strikes the perfect balance between attitude and innocence-which is exactly what JoJo is all about.
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