Joanna Levesque

Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque (born December 20, 1990), professionally known as JoJo, is an American recording artist and actress. After competing on the television show, America's Most Talented Kids, she was noticed by record producer Vincent Herbert who asked her to audition for Blackground Records. JoJo's self-titled debut album was released in June 2004 and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The first single off of the album, "Leave (Get Out)", was released in February 2004. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by the RIAA. JoJo's second album, The High Road, was released in October 2006, and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "Too Little Too Late", was released in August 2006 and reached number three on Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA. Her first mixtape, Can't Take That Away from Me, was released exclusively to Rap-Up on September 7, 2010. The mixtape is a prelude to her upcoming third studio album formerly titled All I Want Is Everything, which is scheduled for an early 2011 release through Blackground and Interscope Records. The first single from the Mixtape, "In the Dark", was released exclusively to Rap-up.com on August 30, 2010. On February 28, 2011, JoJo revealed the new title of her third album would be named Jumping Trains, named after one of her favorite songs on the upcoming Interscope Records project. She will announce the first single and shoot a video in the coming weeks. To hold over her patient fans. JoJo also has a film career. She made her first television appearance on The Bernie Mac Show. In 2006 she starred in two Hollywood films, Aquamarine, her film debut and RV. She has hosted the Ultimate Prom, and appeared in the movie True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet, which earned her a nomination at the Poptastic Awards.

JoJo was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, and raised in Keene, New Hampshire and Foxborough, Massachusetts. She has English, Irish, Polish, French, Scottish, and Native American ancestry. She grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Foxborough, in a low-income family. Her father sings as a hobby and her mother sang in a Catholic church choir and was trained in musical theater. Her parents divorced when she was three. JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname. As a child, JoJo listened as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing when she was two years and three months old by imitating, everything from nursery rhymes to R&B, jazz, and soul tunes. On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers, her mother claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius IQ. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters. At age 7, JoJo appeared on the television show Kids Say the Darnedest Things: On the Road in Boston with American comedian and actor Bill Cosby and she sang a song from singer Cher. After auditioning in the television show Destination Stardom, JoJo sang Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect" & Chain of Fools. Soon after, The Oprah Winfrey Show contacted her, inviting her to perform. She performed on Maury, on one of the frequent "kids-with-talent" episodes, as well as many others. Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it came to performing, I just had no fear".

In November 2010, JoJo made a cameo appearance in Keri Hilson's music video for "The Way You Love Me" from her second studio album No Boys Allowed and was known as "Boots" for the video, where she plays as one of the sexy hunter girls in Keri's gang, alongside Faith Evans (Danja), Dawn (Money) as well as Rick Ross, Columbus Short, and Polow Da Don. In December 2010, JoJo made another cameo appearance in Clinton Sparks's Debut music video for "Favourite DJ" Ft Jermaine Dupri & DJ CLASS and at the end in the song "Sucks To Be You" which features LMFAO and JoJo. The video premiered on Clinton's official website on December 21. JoJo plays Clinton's crazy ex girlfriend. In January 2011 JoJo made yet another cameo appearance in the D'Hask music video for Tempat Ku alongside Marylin Manson and Tai Ling. The video was directed by Rock Jacobs. In December 2010, JoJo stated that she was set to shoot another video for another one of the songs off the mixtape with director Alfredo Flores. It still has yet to be confirmed when the video will be shot and for what song. it is unknown if she will still shoot a video for another song off the mixtape, since she had been planning on shooting and releasing it either before the end of 2010 or before any promotion on the album is done. According the The New York Post, JoJo owns the final mastered copies of the record.

According to JoJo's manager, via Twitter, JoJo is set to release the name of her first single by the end of February 2011. There is still no confirmed release date for the single nor the album yet. On February 18 JoJo begun her album packaging photoshoot for the third album and released a sneak peak at the album packaging shoot through her twitter account. JoJo's manager Gita, said that they will be releasing an update on the single/album to be announced on 28 February. this will include the release of the name of JoJo's new single and possibly the announcement of the albums release date. On February 28, JoJo revealed the new title of her third album, Jumping Trains, named after one of her favorite songs on the upcoming Interscope Records project. JoJo states that “My third album will be called Jumping Trains and it’s very symbolic for a variety of reasons,” explained JoJo. “Moving from Boston to L.A., transitioning from being a girl to being a young woman, living on my own, taking a different direction sonically, and just really finding myself and just jumping into a new chapter of life.” She will announce the first single and shoot a video in the coming weeks. To hold over her patient fans. JoJo's manager stated that they are expecting to shoot the video for the first single during the week of April 18th.

JoJo and her mother reside in Edgewater, New Jersey, and her recording studio is in Manhattan, New York City. She was home schooled for three years, has stated that "school was definitely a big part of my life". She performs well academically, receiving marks in the As and Bs. JoJo dated American soccer player Freddy Adu from May 2005 until September 2006. Both met on the MTV show Fake ID Club while she was hosting it. JoJo made an appearance in the commentary box at a New England Revolution home game when they were playing D.C. United. Freddy Adu registered an assist in that game. A Washington Post article in November 2006 reported that the couple split after one year. JoJo mentioned on American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest that she and Adu were still good friends. JoJo stated that she was single on the October 18, 2006 episode of Live with Regis and Kelly. She was also in the October 2006 issue of Teen People magazine confirming her breakup with Freddy Adu. She said: "I'm single right now and it's good. I'm so young. I'm going to be 16 in December and I'm just so busy. It's hard if you also want to date someone who has a high-profile profession; we were just both consumed with our own world..."

Since 2006 she's a good friend with actress Emma Roberts, Sara Paxton and Robin Williams' daughter Zelda Williams. She appeared with her father on the Behind the scene of JoJo's "Too Little Too Late". On February 28, 2007, she was ranked at number ten in the list of Forbes top twenty earners under 25 with an annual earning of $1 million. In August 2009, she confirmed that she graduated from high school and will focus very hard on her future projects. JoJo was accepted to Northeastern University but did not attend; she considered majoring in cultural anthropology. In July 2009, JoJo was ranked at number five in the list "Barely Legal: The 10 Hottest ’90s Babies" by Complex.com, after Emma Roberts and Willa Holland. Aside from singing and acting, JoJo is also a supporter of various charitable organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of America, World Vision, She's the First, Make A Wish Foundation, and many more. On August 28, 2007, in an interview with BOP and Tiger Beat online, JoJo stated that she was working on a new film. On September 10, JoJo revealed that she would be traveling to Toronto to film a small screen adaptation of Lola Douglas' True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet and play the role of Morgan Carter with Golden Globe winner Valerie Bertinelli and 90210-star Shenae Grimes, to be broadcast on Lifetime television. The film was released on August 9, 2008 on Lifetime Television and on DVD on March 3, 2009. On January 7, 2011, JoJo had been cast in a special episode of CBS's Hawaii Five-0 that will air after the AFC Championship game on Sunday, Jan. 23. JoJo will play Courtney Russell, the daughter of a Tsunami Warning Center scientist who goes missing on the eve of a big storm hitting the Honolulu coast. This is JoJo's first acting role since 2008.