JoJo
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
talk show hosts, celebrities
and audiences throughout
the United States. And she's
determined to take the music
world by storm.
Her name is JoJo.
In the outskirts of Boston,
Massachusetts JoJo grew
up in a home filled with
song. Her mother, a church
soloist and trained musical
theater performer, would
practice hymns and arias
alike while a young JoJo
watched, listened and learned.
She imitated her mother's
incredible range as well
as the sounds that breezed
through the family's home
stereo: Ella Fitzgerald,
Aretha Franklin, Whitney
Houston and Etta James.
"When I was two years
old, I would sing nursery
rhymes. I would do riffs
on them and make them jazzy,"
JoJo remembers. It was at
this early age that she
taught herself to interpret
the pop and blues tunes
she heard with her own distinctive
and unique style.
Eager to perform in venues
other than her living room,
JoJo searched for her first
big break. She found it
in a small newspaper clipping
that advertised an audition
for CBS-TV's Kids Say the
Darndest Things On The Road
In Boston. Her soul and
passion left the producers
speechless and she was immediately
given a spot to perform.
Once JoJo hit the stage,
Bill Cosby, the show's host,
asked her to sing a little
something for the people-packed
Faneuil Hall. JoJo belted
out a show-stopping rendition
of Aretha Franklin's "Respect"
which earned her an overwhelming
response from the audience.
(As well as from Bill Cosby,
himself.) A phone call from
The Oprah Winfrey show followed
soon after, inviting the
young girl to appear on
the show. "When it
came to performing, I just
had no fear," says
JoJo.
All at once things began
to happen. Calls from talk
show producers and music
festival organizers began
to pour in. JoJo did them
all, singing at places as
diverse as a Boston Celtics
basketball game and the
Republican National Convention.
But it was at McDonald's
2001 Gospelfest (at Town
Hall in New York City) where
JoJo brought down the house
with one single song. On
a bill with music greats
such as Melba Moore, JoJo
let loose her pipes on "I
Believe in You and Me,"
Whitney Houston's smash
hit from The Preacher's
Wife. "The place went
crazy!" JoJo exclaims.
"They gave me a standing
ovation, and when I walked
off stage, Cissy Houston,
Whitney's mother, said to
me 'You did a great job
out there.'" Such a
glowing endorsement was
simply priceless to the
young singer.
While appearing on the
TV show, America's Most
Talented Kids, JoJo was
noticed by a man in the
audience who introduced
her to Vincent Herbert,
famed producer and owner
of Da Family Entertainment.
JoJo was signed to Da Family
and offered two major recording
contracts before finding
her perfect match with Barry
Hankerson and his label
Blackground Records, home
to Toni Braxton, Timbaland
& Magoo, and the late
Aaliyah.
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.