MANILA, Philippines - A few questions into JoJo’s press conference, her manager steps in to underscore a particular point. “And if I can add,” she says. “It’s not that she sort of went away and now, she’s trying to reestablish herself. It was really a career decision to put her education first.”
A reporter had just punctuated his question by calling her “the girl from RV,” a lightweight Disney movie where she co-starred with Robin Williams. Although it was hardly a blot on an otherwise impressive CV (a family hit grossing over $87M worldwide), it seems the question hit a nerve, causing the suits at All Youth Channels to sweat a little and JoJo to ensure the room that she’s “definitely not just the girl from RV.”
If her manager sounds a little protective, it might be because JoJo, chart-topping pop star/movie actress with over five million sold worldwide, is only 19. An industry veteran since 12 years old, Joanna Levesque, popularly known as JoJo, has slowly but surely cultivated a diverse and healthy career. In 2004, before her 14th birthday, she topped the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart, becoming the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single in America. From there, there was no turning back. Her self-titled debut was released soon after, racking in over three million scans worldwide. By 2006, she reached near ubiquity, transitioning to TV (The Bernice Mac Show) and eventually, to film (Aquamarine and RV). In the last quarter of the year, she released her second album, “The High Road,” which spawned the monster hit Too Little, Too Late and eventually sold over two million copies worldwide.
“With the years in between my last album and this one, I did a lot of acting and things like that,” she says. “I found my voice... I’m not just a little girl who doesn’t write songs and I’ve really grown into myself.”
There was a lot of living in between “The High Road” and her soon-to-be-released third album “All I Want Is Everything,” for which she wrote or co-wrote almost everything. She became a regular teenager for a while, finishing high school (with honors), and enrolling in a university (majoring in Cultural Anthropology). On top of that, she filed a lawsuit against her record label Da Family Records, after waiting almost two years to get her album released.
As JoJo herself says, this is the secret to her success and lack of Hollywood airs — balance.
“My mom always traveled with me until I turned 18,” she relates. “She made sure I got nine hours of sleep every night. She made sure my school work was done. I really have to credit it to her, for the reason that I am not totally off the deep end ... I think that especially living in Massachusetts, that’s been a really good thing for me because I’m not above temptation, you know what I mean?”
But while she racked up life experience, she never let her music fall by the wayside. Soaking up a diverse list of influences, ranging from neo soul singer D’Angelo to quintessential singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, she grew as an artist, branching out to songwriting and a little bit of production. She enlisted hot new production team The Messengers to come up with some “very exciting stuff,” as well as tried-and-tested Neptune, Chad Hugo, and her musical director, Jordan. “Some wonderful people have influenced me going into this record,” she says.
She’s in Manila, of course, for her appearance in tonight’s Changing Lives, a special one-off event with pop king Justin Timberlake and super-producer Timbaland. A tie-up between All Youth Channels and PLDT-Smart Foundation, the proceeds will go to relief operations for the Ondoy-Pepeng storms, including students of the Angono School of the Arts whose musical instruments were damaged by the flood.
Timberlake and Timbaland famously collaborated on Timbaland’s “Shock Value” album, with the hit Give It To Me, also featuring Nelly Furtado. For “Shock Value II,” JoJo takes center stage, singing Lose Control and singing with Jet in Timothy Where You Been.
“Working with Tim was very quick,” she says. “He knows what he likes. I know what I like/
And perhaps this is the secret to JoJo’s success. While she credits her mom for her level-headedness and has her manager fend off vaguely offensive questions, she is her own ambassador. With a supple contralto and a face that, at certain angles, reminds you of a pre-meltdown Lindsay Lohan, she was always destined for stardom. But raw talent aside, it is her own drive and determination that have become her calling card, record label conflicts be damned. Towards the end of the interview, she tells you, “And now, I know more how to handle myself in certain situations,” and you can’t help but believe her.
She stands up from her seat, gives you a firm handshake, and flashes you a wide if professional smile. “Thank you,” she says, cheerfully, belying the fact that she just flew into Manila this morning and she didn’t expect a press conference. From there, she tells a member of the team that she didn’t know there would be cameras at the lunch. He apologizes and she tells him sweetly but firmly, “It’s okay, but I should know next time.” And at that, she bids goodbye to the roomful of people, poised and, as always, professional.