interview by JANA LETONJA

JOJO rose to fame in the early 2000s with her breakout hit ‘Leave (Get Out)’. She became the youngest solo artist to have a #1 single on the Billboard Pop Songs Chart & Billboard Monitor Chart at just 13 years old. After a hiatus, she returned to the music scene with a renewed sound, selling out 5 consecutive World Tours. This September, JOJO released her memoir ‘Over the Influence’, which became A new York Times Bestseller, and is currently gearing up for the release of her new EP, which will be coming out on 24th January, followed by her North American tour, ‘Too Much to Say’, beginning on 22nd February.

coat A.L.C
full look JANE WADE
shoes MARK GONG

Your new EP drops on 24th January. Can you give us a sneak peek into the themes or sound we can expect?

The first words you hear me sing are “I’m just sippin all day sippin all day trippin all day… finding my way.” By 30, I thought I should “have it all together,” but I definitely have no idea what I’m doing. I’m just trying to follow my heart and use my head. Sometimes I feel like a huge contradiction. I wondered for years if is it okay to feel how I do - strong but also vulnerable, experienced but earnest, hurting, but more than anything, hopeful. At my best, it’s leaning into this duality and being like “actually all of this has a place in my life” where I’m happiest and most free. ‘NGL’ is about the relationship to myself, to romance and regret, and embracing what can feel like inconsistency, self-love versus never-ending quest to be better, acceptance versus longing.

How does this new EP build on or differ from your previous albums, like ‘Mad Love’ and ‘Good to Know’?

Chaos and accountability were some themes I played with especially on ‘Mad Love’ and ‘Good to Know’. This time though, I was coming into creating feeling energized and free after making it a point to do things that scared me and taking the plunge to move to NYC. My producer and friend Theron ‘Neff-U’ Feemster and I were experimenting and exploring tons of inspiration while still aiming to find the stickiness and the hooks. I was fresh off of making my Broadway debut and felt like a little kid again, almost high on life, during the making of the first few songs for ‘NGL’, like ‘Nobody’ and ‘Porcelain’. I’m learning to really enjoy my own company, having fun with what organically sparks joy, the music I’m drawn to, and understanding the empowerment of owning my masters and releasing through on my own label, Clover Music.

dress CPLUS SERIES
jewellery ALEXIS BITTAR
shoes GUCCI

Shortly after the release of your new EP, you’ll be embarking on the ‘Too Much to Say’ tour. What can fans expect from this tour, and are you planning any surprises for them on this tour?

Performing new music makes it real. To just put out stuff, but not get to sing it in front of people can kind of feel like “did that even happen?” But to see and feel what fans respond to and what connects with them is one of my favorite things. That connection keeps me going and desiring to find new ways to share energy and help people feel at home within themselves, confident, and free when they come to my show. I’m looking forward to putting my own spin on a few other artist’s songs on tour too.

After five consecutive sold-out tours, do you feel any pressure to top yourself, or is it more about connecting with fans in a new way?

Of course I want this to be my best tour yet. Just my personal best, where we have the most fun, our band is the most killin, and we all feel the most connected and I don’t disassociate out of protection and fear. Those are the things I am aiming for moving forward. On top of that, it’s my intention to sound better than I ever have. To feel strong and confident, and continue to crush the whack small little boxes I’ve put myself into over the years. I’m a trial and error girlie. Through throwing myself into situations, adjusting I’ve learned that’s where I learn and grow the most. The connection to my fans is the foundation for everything, but for that to be the best it can be, I have to first be connected to myself.

dress AKNVAS
jewellery DINOSAUR DESIGNS
shoes JEFFREY CAMPBELL via EMCEE SHOWROOM

This September, you also released your memoir ‘Over the Influence’, which has become a New York Times Bestseller. What inspired you to write it, and what message do you hope readers take away from your story?

Honestly, I had been really drawn to the memoir and biography genre over the past few years. When I heard that Jeanette McCurdy going was writing a memoir, that’s when I started to think “2024 would mark 20 years since I put out my first single and album. That is crazy. To be so young and have had all these experiences professionally and personally, maybe I should try and see what I can remember, even if I don’t share it with anyone else”. As I started to make a list of 100 stories from birth to present day, I thought this is kind of feeling is something I could share beyond just my journal. Perhaps by putting my story out there I could let go of some fear and embarrassment I have struggled with, and maybe I could serve as a reflection for other people who have been through their own stuff, decided to get up again when they get knocked down, and look at themselves and say “You’re worth it, you can pivot, don’t give up on yourself”.

How did writing ‘Over the Influence’ compare to creating music? Was the process as cathartic as writing a song, or did it challenge you in new ways?

For me, the hardest part of writing is pushing past all the resistance that comes up to distract me from writing. My uncle Scott Blagden is an amazing published fiction author and I leaned on him through the process from first draft all the way to the last one. He, and my editor Carrie, had similar advice, to not edit myself at all and just get it on the damn page. It was a good exercise for someone like me, who never wants to offend anyone or say the wrong thing. In my first draft, I just let it all hang out. And then worried about what might get me sued or cussed out in the street later. That process of freedom and then editing afterward was great, and something I’m going to take with me into hopefully another book as well as songwriting in the future.

skirt and belt HANNAH FREEKE
top DKNY
jewellery Stylist’s
shoes MIISTA

Your career has had incredible highs and challenges. How does the memoir reflect on the impact of those experiences on your personal and professional growth?

In seeing it all in black and white, I was finally able to see how I used romance and sex as a distraction and coping mechanism to the ups and downs and inconsistency I felt in my career and family life. The backdrop of addiction I grew up around permeated into my own life and I found myself in toxic cycles trying to numb the feeling of being so out of control and powerless.

You became the youngest solo artist to have a #1 single on the Billboard Pop Songs Chart at just 13. Looking back, how do you feel about achieving such massive success at such a young age?

It’s amazing and wild, and so long ago it feels like a whole other life. Sometimes, just for a second, I am curious as to how I would have developed differently as an artist and person had I not hit that kind of milestone so freakishly young, or at all. Everything we experience and are exposed to at a young age influences who we become.

coat A.L.C
full look JANE WADE
shoes MARK GONG

With over a billion career streams and a Grammy win, how do you define success at this point in your career?

Liking what you do and how you do it.

Your early hits, like ‘Leave (Get Out)’ and ‘Too Little Too Late’, remain iconic. How do you balance honoring your past work while evolving as an artist?

It’s really cool to see people on TikTok and Instagram giving those songs new life and creating content to these old songs. What an honor to be a part of people’s lives and stories. On tour, I always make sure those songs get their time to shine and that me and my fans can have that moment together. I embrace my teenage music as the foundation of everything I’ve been able to build upon. But I also embrace how much I’ve grown, and how music and my relationship with it continues to evolve.

What does your songwriting process look like now compared to earlier in your career? Have life experiences shifted your creative approach?

There’s not one way that I approach it. I’m always searching for what feels best, and that changes. For years, I’ve kept working notes section in my phone with titles, poetry, general ideas, and voice notes too with ideas for things I want to eventually flush out. Most often, I bring one of these ideas to the producer or co-writer I’m working with and we explore together.

full look ROBERTO CAVALLI
jewellery VITALY
gloves MARIE MUR
shoes JIMMY CHOO

As someone who has been through the highs and lows of the industry, what kept you inspired?

Honestly, there’s so much that electrifies me, keeps me curious and inspired. I am allowing myself to stay open to life and love, change and newness. Music is a never-ending source of excitement, going back and listening, discovering, becoming obsessed with great music from earlier times. Since I was a little girl, I’ve musically traveled through decades and consumed all the music I can from artists who speak to my spirit. My current obsessions include Nancy Wilson and Chaka Khan. Just keeping my ears open to what artists are making today is super inspiring too. I’m drawn to those who refuse to be put into boxes. It’s so fire seeing people’s creative expression and individuality on display. I can’t stop listening to Leon Thomas’ ‘Mutt’, Samara Joy’s ‘Portrait’, and Sunni Colon’s ‘JuJu & the Flowerbug’. I think there’s so much amazing stuff out there and I get so hype to explore.

TEAM CREDITS:
talent JOJO
photography TYLER PATRICK KENNY
styling AYUMI PERRY
hair KENNEDY TRISLER
hair assistant YZABELLA FAUSTINA
makeup PORSCHE
photography assistant BRANDONN PORRAS
video SIMONE HOLLAND
location BLONDE + CO
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
special thanks to ANN LAWLOR for the great location and hospitality and KATEGALLGHZ for making this come together!

IN CONVERSATION WITH JOJO

IN CONVERSATION WITH NAFESSA WILLIAMS

IN CONVERSATION WITH JULEZ SMITH