Pop icon JoJo was just 13 when she shot to stratospheric levels of fame.
Her first single, “Leave (Get Out),” quickly became popular, and she seemed poised for a successful music career.
Many of her songs contained lyrics considered unsuitable for a young performer, and these were often written by men, which has made her journey to fame feel unsettling.
At first, her record label felt supportive and close-knit, but the relationship quickly soured, leading to a lengthy legal fight for ownership of her music.
In retrospect, JoJo’s seemingly innocent and cheerful public persona hid a more troubling side.
Although her popular songs are enjoyed by many, some of the lyrics – specifically those dealing with adult relationships and nightlife – don’t seem appropriate for a young performer.
JoJo contributed to the writing of some of these songs, like “How To Touch A Girl,” but the majority of the lyrics were actually written by a team of male songwriters.
Songwriters often write songs and then try to get artists to record them, meaning they don’t always know who will end up singing their work.
Soon after JoJo first found success, she discovered her contract was holding back her career, so she tried to break free from it.
JoJo’s first hit, “Leave (Get Out),” is remembered as a defining song of the 2000s, but beneath its upbeat sound, the lyrics actually tell a darker story.
In retrospect, it wasn’t suitable for a 13-year-old to be discussing or implying things about romantic relationships, as the content was far too mature for her age.
The song, written by a team of four – Soulshock, Kenneth, Alex Cantrell, and Phillip ‘Silky’ White – helped open the door for more explicit lyrical content in music.
The song begins with these lyrics: ‘I’ve been waiting for you all day, so please come and sit with me. Tell me how we can be together forever. I hope you know how I feel when it gets late at night.’
‘I hold on to my pillow tight // And think of how you promised me forever.’
Okay, so JoJo’s song “How to Touch a Girl”? Seriously, it’s amazing. And it’s not just her singing it, she actually wrote it, along with Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander. It’s honestly one of the most daring things she’s ever done, tackling a topic like that… I just can’t stop listening!
The song came out in 2006, when JoJo was only 16. She actually wrote it even earlier, and the lyrics hinted at a romantic encounter with a woman.
The song features lines such as: ‘I’m starting to feel something… could this be the beginning of a connection? I need something to fulfill me, baby, something to truly make my heart happy.’
‘Do you know how to touch a girl? // If you want me so much //First I have to know/’.
JoJo’s 2004 song, “Not That Kinda Girl,” also shares these qualities. It was a collaboration with songwriters Neely Dinkins, B. Cola Pietro, Muhammad, and Jordan.
Even though JoJo was only 14 when she wrote and released the song – and therefore too young to legally drink in the US – the lyrics were about going to bars.
The song says, ‘I’m not like most people, hanging around the neighborhood. I don’t go clubbing or pretend to be someone I’m not, especially not on the phone. That’s just not my style.’
At age 12 in 2003, she quickly became famous after signing a recording contract with Blackground Records and Da Family Entertainment.
I first discovered JoJo – or Joanna Levesque, as she’s known – when she was just a kid! She was amazing on America’s Most Talented Kids, and that’s how the record label found her. It was so clear even then that she was destined for big things.
At just 13 years old, Billie Eilish became the youngest solo artist ever to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart with her song “Leave (Get Out).”
From the very beginning, she was highly motivated and determined to build a successful career, and she’s often talked about that desire.
In an interview with Tom Power on Q, she described how some child stars had parents who were overly pushy and prioritized financial gain over their children’s happiness and health.
‘That wasn’t my experience…. All I wanted to do from a young age was work.’
Growing up, JoJo’s parents faced many challenges, including mental health issues, addiction, and money problems. They were divorced, which added to these difficulties.
When JoJo was 11, she asked her mom if they could move to Los Angeles, hoping it would give them both a better future.
She thought perhaps her drive to overwork stemmed from a desire to avoid dealing with her feelings and discomfort. She simply didn’t want to face them.
That idea took root when I was very young. I quickly discovered ways to avoid feeling things, like throwing myself into work, getting distracted, focusing on relationships, or spending all day writing in my journal.
JoJo began her music career by signing a record deal with Barry Hankerson, who is the uncle of the late R&B singer Aaliyah. Aaliyah sadly passed away at the age of 22 in a plane crash.
In her memoir, JoJo recounts that when she first met Hankerson, he claimed he saw the spirit of Aaliyah standing behind her.
She explained that he felt Aaliyah’s presence in the room, and that she was somehow leading him to make the decision to sign me.
She remembered how swiftly they’d created her first album, and mentioned that Barry had previously worked on Aaliyah’s album when she was just 13 years old.
Her debut album came out when she was just 14, released in collaboration with R. Kelly. He was already known for successfully developing and working with young artists, despite the challenges that presented.
JoJo described being well-supported by her record label during a high point in her career, enjoying perks like private jet travel and luxurious living arrangements with her mother.
Although the record label was located in Los Angeles, they quickly relocated JoJo and her mother, Diana, to New Jersey. JoJo now understands this was likely due to less strict child labor regulations in that state.
Despite not knowing the real reason for the decision, JoJo remembered feeling like they were having the time of their life.
I still get chills thinking about it! She told Uproxx in a documentary a few years ago, and it was just… incredible. She said, ‘Suddenly I was on a private plane… I was a little girl from nowhere.’ Like, can you imagine? It’s just so amazing to me that she went from absolutely nothing to… that. It gets me every time!
I remember when things first started with the label, it was amazing. They really took care of my family – they got my mom, Diana, a car, and even provided us with an apartment. It was the first time I ever had my own room, which meant the world to me.
She explained in a 2020 documentary that they felt like the family she and her mother had always wanted. Both of them came from difficult and unstable family backgrounds, and she said this group really filled that void for them.
Before relocating to Los Angeles, JoJo and her mother, Diana, lived in Foxborough, Massachusetts, relying on Diana’s income from cleaning to get by.
Now, she was thriving, happily balancing her schoolwork with her passion for the studio – a dream she’d held since childhood.
Despite her success, the singer later shared that becoming famous also brought increased self-doubt and stress.
She explained that she needed to learn how to behave and win people over, something she’d been working on since elementary school.
The media trainer helped me learn how to come across as likeable in short interview clips and prepared me for tough questions, so I wouldn’t unintentionally say something offensive.
JoJo was riding high on her first ever tour, where she opened for rapper Usher.
As a lifestyle observer, I’ve seen so many artists launch their careers, and this one really stood out! Her debut track was a massive hit, and she followed it up with another incredibly popular single, ‘Too Little, Too Late.’ It’s amazing to see that kind of momentum – clearly, people were connecting with her music right away.
She once described those first experiences as feeling like a fresh start, but she soon realized she was limited by the expectations placed upon her.
It’s just… infuriating! For seven whole years, the label completely controlled JoJo’s voice, and they wouldn’t let her release any new music! Like, they actively blocked her from doing anything else, too. It was awful to watch her talent just…stifled. They wouldn’t let her shine, and it felt like they were deliberately trying to hold her back from everything!
She shared that she’s written hundreds of songs that were never released, explaining it felt frustrating and pointless, like no one would ever get to hear her work.
In 2013, JoJo sued her record label, arguing that because she was a minor when she signed her contract, the seven-year agreement wasn’t legally valid.
Blackground wanted the lawsuit thrown out and intended to exhaust the plaintiff with legal fees until she couldn’t afford to continue fighting.
Blackground Records had collapsed and faced multiple lawsuits, leading JoJo to desperately seek independence from the label’s control.
JoJo shared that her mother feared JoJo’s attempt to gain independence and find work on other film projects would be too stressful and harmful to her health.
The star would also release mixtapes which offered her a loophole to be able to tour.
JoJo shared that her friend Selena Gomez invited her to a Galentine’s Day celebration at Taylor Swift’s house, where they enjoyed In-N-Out burgers and did some arts and crafts.
The celebrity mentioned that Taylor was very kind and nice, but she also sensed people felt sorry for her.
She shared that Taylor spoke about some of my older songs she really liked, and repeatedly expressed how unfair it was that the legal issues were preventing me from releasing new music.
I’m not sure if she’d found out about what happened through social media or if I’d already told her, but she made it very clear she supported me and had faith in me.
Taylor was very kind, but I could tell from the looks on everyone else’s faces that they pitied me. It seemed like they worried I’d be stuck in this difficult situation forever, or that even if things improved, it might be too late for me to recover.
I always wondered if they knew. If they could see right through me, that I didn’t have a safety net, that I was completely on my own. I kept thinking they could spot that I was just pretending to be okay, that I was faking it until I made it. But then again… maybe I was just seeing things, projecting all my insecurities onto them. It’s probably all in my head, isn’t it?
Throughout the difficult lawsuit, the singer, known for her song “Too Little Too Late,” stated that her record label was preventing her from leaving and releasing new music.
The feud led to her fans taking up a #FreeJoJo campaign on social media at the time.
After years of fighting to get out of her previous contract, she was finally free in 2014 and signed a new deal with Atlantic Records.
She quickly followed up with new songs and a tour, then released her third album, Mad Love, in October 2016.
In 2020, she released her fourth album, Good to Know. A year later, in 2021, she followed it up with her fifth album, Trying Not to Think About It.
On the outside, it looked to the public like JoJo was as happy as could be.
I always thought she had it all together, you know? That perfect smile… but she just told me something that completely broke my heart. Apparently, she was secretly battling so much insecurity, and the pressure everyone put on her was just… crushing her. It’s awful to think she was going through all that while still seeming so strong.
In her new memoir, Over the Influence, released earlier this year, JoJo openly shared the personal struggles she kept hidden for so long.
I’ve seen this story play out too many times with young performers. JoJo, like so many child stars, really struggled after years of feeling like an outsider. It led her down a difficult path where she unfortunately turned to alcohol and drugs as a way to cope.
Her situation worsened when her successful career suddenly stopped due to legal issues with her record label.
She worked incredibly hard to get her third album out, but the record label kept pushing back the release date, which made her feel inadequate and discouraged all over again.
I just… I can’t believe she went through all that. She was desperate to win them over, to get them to believe in her music again. It broke my heart to learn she even started taking pills, trying to change how she looked, thinking that would make a difference. She thought if she just looked the part, they’d finally listen. It’s just… so sad.
In 2008, JoJo relocated to Boston and paused her music career to figure out her future plans.
She thought about giving up singing to go to college, but in the end, she chose to keep pursuing her music.
She started working on her third album, but quickly realized she’d lost her creative spark during her time off.
As the singer got ready to return to performing, her record label put a lot of pressure on her to lose weight.
JoJo described herself as someone who often overate, and she felt pressure to conform to a certain image. She eventually began using Adderall in an attempt to control her eating.
She explained that it was typical for people in charge at the record label to frequently criticize their female artists’ appearances, bodies, and how they presented themselves sexually.
I was determined to regain my former success, and I was willing to make changes to achieve that, including losing weight. I’d heard Adderall could help with weight loss, so I started taking it, using a friend’s prescription.
I didn’t put off college to find stability. From this point forward, I was willing to do anything asked of me to get my life back on course.
She recalled ‘staying in a constant state of sucking her stomach in.’
Ugh, she said it just didn’t work for actually singing! Like, it might have looked okay from the side, maybe even made her look thinner, but forget about supporting her voice properly. Apparently, it totally messed with her breathing technique, and as a devoted fan, I just need her to have the best technique, you know?
She also started partying regularly after she turned 18.
Honestly, it felt like forever waiting to finally get into the world of proper cocktails, you know? Like I’d been a kid on the outside looking in, and then suddenly, I was in – part of this exclusive club of people who really get a good drink. It was a total game changer!
Alcohol numbed my worries and allowed me to stop caring. When I stopped drinking, I became overwhelmed by anxieties and felt constantly stressed. There was a liberating feeling in being completely carefree while under the influence.
Looking back, I realized I fell into a pattern of seeking validation through male attention. It became an unhealthy addiction, and I found myself dating a string of men who, frankly, weren’t good for me – often much older and consistently disappointing. Each relationship ended badly, with heartbreak caused by cheating or just plain mistreatment. It was a tough cycle to break, but a necessary one.
She described sex as her preferred way to escape her problems, explaining it helped her temporarily forget her anxieties and fears.
She admitted she often felt insecure and craved attention from men. Feeling wanted was incredibly addictive for her, like a powerful drug.
To make matters worse, JoJo’s third album kept getting delayed by the record label.
As she waited for news about her music’s release, she started going to parties more and more often.
She remembered feeling lost when her career hit a dead end and her lifelong dreams seemed to be slipping away. She tried to find fulfillment in things like alcohol, drugs, relationships, food, and even self-criticism, but nothing ever truly satisfied her.
I used alcohol and drugs to numb my feelings, and I was almost always intoxicated – even during the day – which made me feel detached and apathetic about life.
I kept repeating the same pattern: I’d drink to avoid dealing with my problems, and then I’d do things I later regretted, ranging from mildly embarrassing to seriously harmful.
Honestly, alcohol became my go-to whenever I felt completely empty inside. It was like a quick fix for all my self-doubt and this desperate need to feel…worthy. It just filled this hole I had, even if it was only temporary.
She remembered a time at an industry party in December 2009 when she accidentally got very drunk in public.
JoJo, now 33 and twenty years after her initial success, recently spoke about her experiences as a young performer, revealing how difficult relationships and problems with her record label negatively impacted her career.
Oh my gosh, you guys, her memoir? It was EVERYTHING. She just laid it ALL out there – all the stuff she struggled with privately, all the darkness she fought while everyone else just saw the star. It was so raw and real, and honestly, it made me love her even MORE knowing what she went through behind closed doors.
JoJo admitted she often felt like an outsider, which was particularly difficult because she was so young.
She wrote that even though people were beginning to notice and praise her music and talent, she still felt like an outsider at industry events, just like she did in elementary school.
I felt left out because everyone else was around the same age. People were nice enough, but it’s hard to connect with someone so much younger – I was only 13, and most others were between 17 and 21.
No matter how grown-up a thirteen-year-old seems, or believes she is, she’s still a young teenager.
She began to doubt herself, and this feeling worsened after her first photoshoot, leading her to self-harm.
She recalled looking at the images and feeling like an ‘alien.’
JoJo suddenly became self-conscious, wondering if her forehead seemed unusually large, her nose noticeably crooked and wide, and her lips too small. She fixated on these perceived flaws.
“I’d never thought of myself this way before,” the star explained. “It felt like a distorted, over-the-top version of my own reflection.”
If everyone else was truly seeing what I was seeing in the mirror, why were they telling me I looked good? These photos just proved what I already suspected: I didn’t look how I needed to for this role.
Everything happened fast, and I felt intensely alive. Returning to the hotel, I stood in the bathroom, placing my feet flat in the empty sink, and began to pluck at my skin with my mother’s tweezers, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
With each breath, my anxiety grew, and I compulsively picked at my skin, squeezing until it bled, as if trying to physically remove my negative feelings.
In 2004, JoJo launched her career with her first tour and debut album, simply titled JoJo. While things were quickly taking off, she struggled to adapt to the demands of her new, rapidly changing life and felt a longing for something more.
I could feel the treadmill speeding up beneath me, and each day brought a fresh list of interviews and commitments,” she remembered.
Designers were eager to have me model their clothes or be at their fashion shows. My life felt like everything I watched on television – full of glamour and thrills that I completely embraced.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by people. There was the bodyguard who used to work at the White House, people from the record labels, and fans wanting photos with me and their products. My publicist was always there to politely decline those requests. I was also meeting new producers and curious onlookers, all wanting to be part of what was happening.
It felt overwhelming, but I was still craving more. I kept wondering how we could build on this, achieve even greater things, and reach new heights.
She explained that she felt an inner emptiness and desperately sought approval from others to try and feel complete.
She said nothing beat the feeling of impressing adults, landing a part in a show, or hearing the enthusiastic applause of a large crowd.
Even as I achieved more success – with hit songs and popular movies – my inner demons only grew stronger and more demanding.
Becoming a big star at such a young age meant JoJo had access to alcohol extremely early on.
In her book, she revealed she first tried alcohol at 14 years old, while on tour.
The singer explained that after each show, her dancers and crew would usually have parties on the tour bus. However, she wasn’t included, as they considered her too young to join.
Finally, she ‘snuck onto the bus’ one night and ‘asked the chillest dancer to make her a drink.’
She explained that before that moment, she’d only tried small tastes of alcohol, but she’d never liked the way it tasted.
Watching everyone on the bus have so much fun – dancing, chatting, and just completely carefree – made me wish I could feel that relaxed too.
‘So the dancer poured me a red cup filled with Captain Morgan and CocaCola, and I was off.
I was happily toasting with everyone one moment, and the next I was tumbling headfirst off the bus and onto the hotel’s carpet. It was the first time I’d ever blacked out.
She said her mom ‘picked her up off the ground and carried her lifeless body into her hotel room.’
You know those moments that just completely jolt you awake? Well, I had one of those last night! I woke up in the dark convinced my bathroom layout had magically changed – I swear I thought the toilet was right in the middle of the room! Of course, it wasn’t, and it gave me quite the start. It was a really disorienting experience!
‘I peed on the carpet, and mom and her [boyfriend] woke up to the sound of me relieving myself.’
She also lost her virginity that year to her then-boyfriend, soccer player Freddy Adu.
Even though she was only fourteen, she desperately wanted to be seen as mature, and this quickly caused problems in her relationship with her mother.
She didn’t want to be seen as a child, and resented being treated differently from grown-ups. It didn’t make things easier that people were already starting to see her as less mature, and the balance of power was changing, she explained.
I was suddenly responsible for supporting both my mother and myself. I had also lost my virginity. It really bothered me that my mother didn’t seem to recognize my newfound maturity and independence as a woman.
As I approached my fifteenth birthday, I started distancing myself from my mom. She seemed constantly upset, either criticizing things or angry with people—often me. She really disliked the music industry and frequently threatened to end my involvement and send me back to regular school.
‘I think, in many ways, she wanted it to stop, but felt we were in way too deep.’
She explained that her mother’s behavior became unpredictable when she drank alcohol, and this was happening more frequently as JoJo’s career progressed.
She remembered her mother often criticizing her harshly, making her feel inadequate and unworthy.
JoJo recalls her mother often criticizing her, saying things like she was spoiled and ungrateful, or that the entertainment industry had negatively changed her personality.
The celebrity explained that cruel and cutting remarks had become a habit, and she found it even easier to make them when she was drinking or using drugs.
I was certain she loved me, and I never questioned that. However, she now felt a strong resentment towards me, maybe even hatred. I felt the same way about her.
She recounted a time she and her mother had a physical altercation in a hotel lobby, describing it as a heated shoving match.
During the recording of her second album, she once asked her mother to leave the studio, and her mother responded by threatening suicide.
JoJo was deeply upset after receiving a string of disturbing text messages from her mother, suggesting she’d be happier if JoJo wasn’t in her life. Worried about her mother, she immediately went to her hotel room.
JoJo said the door to her room was locked with both a lock and a deadbolt. She was pounding and shouting, trying to get through it.
After a long, emotional moment, she emerged, standing before me, vulnerable and tearful. The bathroom was filled with the sound of running water and the hum of a hair dryer.
JoJo said she held her mother and pleaded with her to fight for her life, and eventually, she was able to relax.
JoJo’s career was really taking off during this time. In 2006, she appeared in her first movie, Aquamarine, with Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton, and later that same year, she acted alongside Robin Williams in the film RV.
Her album, The High Road, came out in October 2006 and reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart.
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2025-12-20 17:26