The Transformation Of Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque From 6 To 33

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque has kept audiences singing and dancing since she burst onto the scene as a pre-teen with hit singles including "Leave (Get Out)," "Baby It's You," and "Too Little Too Late." But the songstress' journey to stardom started earlier, as the precocious Levesque began showing off her musical talent from an even younger age. From competing in televised talent shows to treading the boards of Broadway (with the occasional blockbuster film thrown in there), Levesque has continued to make her mark on the entertainment industry one medium at a time.

But though she has accomplished so much, it has been a taxing adventure for the singer for many years. "It's still a journey, because I have a lot of unlearning to do," she said of her years in the spotlight to People. "I don't have the same aspirations that I had when I was 23. I don't want to be the biggest star in the world. I want to have a life that I like." This is the transformation of JoJo from musical prodigy to artist, author, and Broadway star.

From the get go, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque was singing both solo and beside her family. Both of her parents were singers, covering genres ranging from gospel to blues, and their daughter followed in their footsteps –- but with her own flair. "When I was 2 years old, I would sing nursery rhymes," she remembered to Wicked Local. "I would do riffs on them and make them jazzy and more R&B. When it comes to performing, I don't remember ever having any fear."

The future pop star made moves in the industry at a young age. She appeared on "America's Most Talented Kid" as a child, and while she didn't win, she did catch the attention of producer Vincent Herbert, who had worked with artists including girl group Destiny's Child and Deborah Cox. She also showed off her talents to a then up-and-coming pop star: Britney Spears.

"I sang in front of everyone backstage," she spilled on the "This Must Be The Gig with Lior Phillips" podcast. "She told her assistant to give me her card. It had Larry Rudolph's name on it, her old manager. Supposedly Britney was starting her own company and wanted me to be her first new artist." While Spears' label never came to fruition, JoJo still found her path to recording stardom.

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque continued making major music career moves as she moved into her teenage years. After signing to Blackground Records at age 12, she released her self-titled debut record in 2004, anchored by hit singles "Leave (Get Out)" and "Baby It's You." The former hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, making JoJo the youngest solo artist in Billboard history to earn a number one single.

The singer amassed a legion of young fans who were eager to hear from a voice that they could identify with on multiple levels. "I talk about things that are real to teenagers, and to people in general," she shared with The Associated Press (per Today) at the time. "It reaches a broad audience and that's important."

From there, Levesque began a whirlwind promotional tour for her record. She went on tour with Usher and appeared on pop culture staples like MTV's "TRL." But even while she worked around the clock, she was always aware of her worth despite her "prodigy" status. "I happen to be a bit younger, and I don't think I should be cut slack, because I can work just as hard as anybody else can ... just maybe under child-labor laws," she joked with MTV.com. "I think that as you grow and your audience grows, you change and evolve."

While her star as a singer continued to rise, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque moved into movie acting while starring alongside some Hollywood heavyweights. She appeared in the 2006 family comedy, "Aquamarine," alongside fellow teen queens Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton. Though she wasn't a complete novice when it came to acting, she was able to stretch her skills in a new way in a new medium. "Everybody was so great to work with," she shared with MTV. "We were learning things about each other and learning the ways of this film and the process."

She also played late comedian Robin Williams' daughter in 2006's "RV" and was quick to learn how to hold her own with a legendary performer. "He would go off script, but he would always come back to a safe place where I knew where to jump in with my line," she shared with MovieWeb. "That's what's so great about him. He would never leave me or any of the actors in a place where they were lost and didn't know where to go from there."

In October 2006, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque released her sophomore album, "The High Road," accompanied by another hit single, "Too Little Too Late." The song became her highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3. The album itself also hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, which marked her highest-charting album. "You can hear the maturity and confidence in my vocals," she told SingerUniverse. "I'm coming into myself and being more comfortable."

While JoJo was experiencing a growth in her career, she was also growing into her own personal life. At the time, she was dating young soccer star Freddy Adu. "We were in the deep end, and I felt like now I might die without him," she revealed in her 2024 memoir, "Over the Influence" (via Us Weekly), about the intensity of their intimate relationship. But, as she also revealed, her record label expressed concern over the optics of their interracial relationship, one of the number of issues that the singer began to experience with her team.

After the release of her second album, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque began fighting back against her record label, Blackground Records, in what would become a years-long saga. "Within the first few months of signing, I started hearing horror stories from other artists who used to be signed to the label," she shared with Vulture in 2015. "That was the first inclination that things were not as they seemed."

When the time came for her to release her third album (out of seven total albums she signed a deal for), the singer spent years trying in vain to publish her new songs while the company dealt with a lack of distribution capabilities. JoJo even tried to break her contract with a lawsuit in 2009, fighting for almost seven years to be freed from a contract she signed as a minor.

Fans spent time supporting the #FreeJoJo movement on social media, but it wasn't until 2014 that she was released from her contract — finally able to release her music as full EPs without being quashed by a label. "I still have people who want to hear me, which is a pretty unique position to be in after this journey," she wrote in her piece for Vulture.

During her battle with Blackground, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque persevered in her quest to make new music by releasing mixtapes and cover songs on her own. In 2010, she released "Can't Take That Away From Me," where she tapped into new sides of her musical ability. "This mixtape is more experimental," she shared with Rap-Up. "I was able to explore the full spectrum of things that interest me and inspire me musically." JoJo received acclaim for her 2011 cover of Drake's "Marvin's Room," which even Drake himself praised.

Levesque continued to release new singles and mixtapes through 2015, providing both music for her hungry fans and self-nourishment for the artist within. Though she didn't experience the same chart success she had with her previous records, fans were still thrilled to hear from the songstress. "My intention [with my music] is to be transparent and truthful," she told Billboard. "Art imitates life, and that's what I allow it to do."

After signing a new record deal with Atlantic Records, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque decided to re-record updated versions of her first two albums in 2018, both as a thank you to her fans and to serve as a way to process the years of trauma spent fighting her previous record label. At the time, the original albums were not available on streaming services.

"I wanted to see if there was something that could be done to get these first two albums in the hands of my fans," she explained to Billboard. "I was like, 'Should I file a petition to get these masters? Is it worth undertaking this and spending the money? Does anybody want this?'"

Levesque credited her fans with being the reason she even thought to re-release the records. "Something that bothered me was that I thought there was a misconception that these albums weren't available because I was somehow embarrassed by them or didn't want people to see them," she told Billboard. "But I sold millions of albums, and they were a huge foundation for me — I'm proud of them."

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque continued releasing music, ultimately creating it under her own imprint of Interscope Records, Clover Music. The singer also shared her mental health struggles with the world. Using her music to tell her story, she created the 2021 album, "Trying Not To Think About It," that encapsulated her journey with anxiety growing up.

"I wanted to release this project and have it be a time capsule of wherever I was at ... in hopes of moving onward and upward and feeling different and changing my mind and hopefully having a different perspective on life," she told People in 2021. "Basically, if you're a depressed millennial, it'll really resonate with you."

JoJo embarked on a limited six-date tour immediately after its release and even released star-studded music videos featuring the likes of Omarion and former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregi to promote the project. Years later, has been able to continue to talk freely about her mental health journey. "I have more tools in my belt than I did before," she shared with People in 2024. "It doesn't have authority over my life."

In 2023, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque returned to her acting roots — this time on the Broadway stage. She joined the cast of "Moulin Rouge! the Musical" as Satine, the French courtesan character made famous by Nicole Kidman in the original 2001 film. She workshopped the material and prepared for producers before ultimately landing the role opposite Derek Klena as love interest Christian, the role originated by Ewan McGregor.

Beyond the fact that she loved the film, Levesque was keen to show audiences that this was something that was right in her talent wheelhouse. "I really wanted the opportunity to use all the different things I love that I've been working on since I was a little girl at once: Singing, acting, performing," she told Billboard. "This is the perfect opportunity for that."

Her initial engagement lasted for 14 weeks, but she returned to the role in 2024 opposite original cast member and Broadway heartthrob Aaron Tveit in 2024 for another limited engagement. Returning to the role is something that came back to JoJo quickly. "I'm not myself, I'm not Joanna; I'm embodying Satine," she shared with Billboard.

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque released her memoir, "Over The Influence," in September 2024, detailing the highs and lows of life as a young artist and the lessons she learned throughout her life thus far. The title itself had two meanings, noting both the heavy hands of the entertainment industry on her as a preteen and the struggles with her parents' addictions when she was young.

"It was definitely cathartic and just an exercise in getting over my fear of being seen, of putting myself out there," she reflected to Variety. "[I knew] that I needed to break through any of those roadblocks that I put before myself."

The memoir detailed more than just her musical journey. She also revealed details about her young romance with ex-boyfriend Freddy Adu, along with experiences of sexual assault, addiction, and eating disorders throughout her life. Throughout the book, she unveiled all and shared sides of herself previously unseen by her fans and the world alike. "I've done so much work to be able to feel okay in the past 10 years, and the truth is that at times, I felt like a victim, at times, I've been a villain," she told Variety.