Your Ad Here

ACTORS more>> MUSICIANS more>> ATHLETES more>> MISC. more>>

Pics of the Week This week... Models BadGirls Graduation Mbw Rating: HOT ALERT: Shannon Lucio   Loaded Mbw Rating: HOT ALERT: Nathalie Kelley   Your Ad Here

BIOGRAPHY

Joanna Levesque
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP | BLOG

Joanna Noëlle Levesque, born December 20, 1990, best known by her stage name JoJo, is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.

Jojo rose to fame in 2004 with her Platinum-certified, self-titled debut album JoJo which reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. JoJo has also begun a film career, starring in two 2006 Hollywood films: Aquamarine and RV. Her second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006. In 2007, JoJo will be emarking her The High Road Tour, in the U.S. and Europe in the summer.

Jojo was born in Brattleboro, Vermont and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts. She is of French, Polish and Irish and Native American descent. She grew up in a one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Boston, in a abusive, low-income family. Her father, Joel Levesque, is a blues singer and her mother, Diana, sang in a Catholic church choir and worked as a house cleaner. Her parents divorced when she was three, and she has since lived with her mother in New Jersey. Her father lives in New Hampshire.

During her earlier years, Jojo listened and learned as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing when she was two years old by imitating her mother, putting her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers, Diana Levesque claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius IQ. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters.

After auditioning for the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston, JoJo was given a spot to perform on the show, singing Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect". Host Bill Cosby and the crowd at Faneuil Hall responded overwhelmingly to her performance. Soon after, The Oprah Winfrey Show contacted her, inviting her to perform. She also 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".

JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname. After appearing on talk shows and gospel festivals and competing on the television show, America's Most Talented Kids, record producer Vincent Herbert contacted her and asked her to audition for Blackground Records. During her audition for Barry Hankerson, Hankerson told her that his the spirit of his niece--the late singer Aaliyah--had brought her to him. She was signed to the label, and had recording sessions with famed producers like The Underdogs and Soulshock & Karlin.

JoJo's live demo, Joanna Levesque, recorded in 2001, features covers of several well-known soul/R&B songs, including Wilson Pickett's 1966 "Mustang Sally", Etta James's 1989 "It Ain't Always What You Do (It's Who You Let See You Do It)", Aretha Franklin's 1968 "Chain of Fools" and 1969 "The House That Jack Built", The Moonglows' 1956 "See Saw", Stevie Wonder's 1972 "Superstition", and The Temptations' 1975 "Shakey Ground". The demo is sometimes available on eBay.

JoJo's Platinum-certified debut single "Leave (Get Out)" was released in 2004. The track became an international hit, peaking at number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number two on the UK Singles Chart, and number two on the Australian Singles Chart. When the single hit number one on the Top 40 Mainstream, she became, at age thirteen, the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single in America and also the youngest nominee for a MTV Video Music Award ("Best New Artist" for "Leave (Get Out)", in 2004). Her debut album, the Platinum-selling JoJo, followed; it peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number ten on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling about 107,000 copies and reaching the top forty of the UK Albums Chart. The album has sold a total of almost 1.5 million copies in the U.S. JoJo co-wrote two of the album's songs, as well as wrote and co-produced one full track. Her second single, the Gold-selling "Baby It's You" — which features rapper Bow Wow — peaked at number twenty-two in the U.S. and number eight in the UK.

In 2004, JoJo participated in "Come Together Now", a charity single to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. That year, she was personally requested by First Lady Laura Bush to perform at the 2004 Christmas in Washington special, broadcast by TNT and hosted by Dr. Phil and his wife Robin McGraw. Despite performing at other events for the Republican Party, she has stated that she does not "agree with the things that President George W. Bush has done in office. I'll leave it at that". JoJo has also hosted and performed at the Hope Rocks concert in 2005 to benefit City of Hope Cancer Center and co-hosted the 2006 TV Guide Channel's countdown to the Grammy Awards.

After appearing on the television series The Bernie Mac Show and American Dreams, JoJo was cast opposite Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in Aquamarine, playing Hailey, one of two teenage girls who discover a mermaid. The film opened on March 3, 2006 and performed mediocre at the domestic box office, opening at number five with $7.5 million. Her next film, RV, a comedy starring Robin Williams, was released on April 28, 2006. It opened at number one and grossed $69.7 million. JoJo had to audition for the part five times, and eventually replaced an actress who had already been cast in the role.

JoJo had not had any professional acting training before being cast in the roles, but was given an acting coach on the set of Aquamarine. She will be billed as "Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque" in her film roles, but will still be credited as simply "JoJo" for her music work.

JoJo was offered the role of the title character of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, but turned it down because of her hectic schedule.

JoJo's music will remain her main focus, as she has stated that she prefers singing to acting.