For her next act, JoJo tells all. “Leave (Get Out)” singer Joanna Noëlle Levesque announced on Tuesday (June 4) that she is releasing a “raw” memoir titled Above influence via Hachette Books on September 17th.
“Ultimately Wow. So… I've been working on this like crazy in my little emotional cocoon for the past 18 months… and it feels surreal to share this with you today: my first memoir,” the singer wrote on Instagram alongside the cover image: close-up of her face. On a typewritten page posted next to the cover, the singer explained, “this book is for anyone who has ever felt down, disconnected, but underneath it all is DETERMINED to find themselves and a new way of being.”
The note added that she started working on the book a few listens ago when she realized the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album was coming up this year, so she began sketching out a framework for what would become her life story. “This is a story of addiction, generational trauma, fame in a developing brain, lies, love, endurance, spirituality, resilience and reinvention,” her statement reads. “It's a snapshot of the evolving music industry over the past two decades and a cautionary tale that I want to be the one to tell.”
He continued, saying it was “a journey” to look back and see the “blind spots and the patterns and the fear that was the driving force behind a lot of decisions. But also the incredible blessings.” She said her definition of success has gone through a number of revisions since she started her career at age six. Today it's about “happiness and connection. To be part of the things that make me proud and allow me to earn a good living.”
She emphasized that she wrote “every word” of the memoir and admitted: “I'm nervous. It is the most demanding but essential project I have undertaken.”
The singer appeared on shows including Children say the most incredible things, America's Most Talented Kids and Destination Stardom before signing with Blackground Records and Da Family Entertainment and releasing her debut album in 2004, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart thanks to the debut single, “Leave (Get Out). Her third album followed was repeatedly postponed amid a dispute with her record label, leading her to leave and sign with Atlantic Records in 2014, which released her third LP. Crazy Lovein 2016. Over the years he has also been a guest on a number of TV shows including; American Dreams, Hawaii Five-O and Lethal weapon.
After the 2021 album release Trying not to think about itJoJo made her Broadway debut as Satine in Red Mill! The musical in 2023.
Hachette describes the memoir as “incredibly honest,” saying she “holds nothing back as she brings her contrasting tale of adversity and triumph to the fore. From being raised by parents who both struggled with addiction and depression, to emerging victorious in a never-ending lawsuit with her record label, to piecing together the fragmented pieces of herself after a crazy period of rebellion and self-betrayal, she takes the reader through the tumultuous years that have led her to where she is now: releasing new music under her own imprint, playing shows and festivals around the world, headlining a Broadway show, and more.”
Check out JoJo's Above influence announcement below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/jojo-announces-over-the-influence-memoir-1235701173/