Singer Johanna “JoJo” Levesque has been killing it since 2004 — and her new EP, “trying not to think about it” proves she is only getting better.
JoJo originally came into the music scene with her hit single “Leave (Get Out)” at fourteen years old. The single did so well that she became the youngest person to hit the Billboard Top 40. Her melodic voice and fusion of Pop and R&B quickly made her a teen-pop sensation.
Her career was put on hold during the production of her third album when Jojo encountered a seven-year-long legal battle with her label Blackground Records over numerous contract issues. In 2016, she was able to put out her first album “Mad Love” under a new partnership with Atlantic Records. Since then, she has hit the ground running and shows no signs of stopping.
JoJo’s music struggled in 2020, however. Her album “good to know” was released in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown and it greatly affected its publicity. While the album overall got great reviews, it did not get the promotion she hoped for.
“To not hear my songs on the radio, I can’t lie and act like that doesn’t matter to me. I want my music to reach as many people as possible,” JoJo said in an interview with MTV earlier this year.
The R&B singer has admitted to experiencing depression and anxiety and it was in full swing after that album.
“That’s where a lot of ‘trying not to think about it’ came from, being in that negative, ruminating place of catastrophizing and thinking about, ‘What the f— am I doing?’,” JoJo said in an interview with MTV.
JoJo has made an album that felt as personal as talking to a friend about the issues they were going through. Her R&B sound gave such a melodic and calming feel, even when talking about tough issues in her life. Even without having the background on her music and life, JoJo is able to magically convey the ups and downs of her mental health without bringing down the listener. This album is a standout among her peers this year. The top songs to check out would be “Anxiety (Burlinda’s theme), “Dissolve” and “Spiral Szn.”
Listen to “trying not to think about it” here.
Featured image taken from Instagram: @iamjojo