In the spring of 2023, JoJo made her Broadway debut in the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge , playing eight performances per week as the secretly suffering heroine Satine. But as if covering Adele's songs and pulling off cabaret-style choreography weren't enough, offstage, the singer was doing something more intense: telling her life story.
Now, Bustle has revealed that JoJo will release her first memoir, Over the Influence, under her full name, Joanna Levesque, on September 17 via Hachette Books. While longtime fans may be familiar with her many triumphs and tribulations throughout her two-decade career, this is the first time JoJo has explained her story in her own words.
"I've never written anything this long," she tells Bustle via Zoom from her sunny home in Los Angeles. "I usually write three-minute songs. I'm at a point in my life where what I want to say and what I want to do scares me a little bit. It scares me because I know if I'm going to tell my story, I It’s going to be very raw and very, very honest.”
In "Over the Influence ," the 33-year-old singer opens up about becoming a child star at age 13 with "Leave (Get Out)" and the record label contract battle that stymied her career for nearly a decade. But she's also telling her story through a new lens — her parents' struggles with addiction, and how those experiences ultimately led to her own addiction — in hopes of sparking much-needed conversations about teens in the music industry.
"I thought my fans might be interested in knowing what I went through at the peak of my career and, in retrospect, what it was like for a developing brain to be famous," she said. "At 13 years old, to be able to experience that high, it felt like being on drugs."
During the drafting process, JoJo wrote "nearly 200,000 words," all without a co-writer. "It's raw, but so am I, so I'm glad it's in my voice," she said. "I wanted to try and remember my stories before I forgot them. I wanted to record them, take these stories out of my diary and share them with the next generation of performers and young people interested in the music industry. Twenty years later, I Actually gained a lot of insights that I think are valuable.”
Below, JoJo talks about her favorite music memoirs, her writing process, and her biggest fears about the revelations in the book.
When did you decide to write this memoir? Why?
When I realized it had been 20 years since I released my first album, I decided to share the story of this strange life. I'm an avid reader. I’ve been leaning towards memoirs the past few years, so I really enjoy reading other people’s stories.
What memoirs were you inspired by when you began this journey?
My favorite is the book that Rick James wrote with Dave Ritz, who also wrote the Aretha Franklin book. He did a really good job of putting his own voice into it. I read books that I didn’t even think I would connect with artists. Jessica Simpson's book surprised me. I really like Matthew McConaughey’s books and Mariah Carey’s books. No pun intended—the book is called Beyond Influence —but we are all naturally affected by what we accept. The same goes for Janet McCurdy's book - she shared an incredible story that I didn't even realize until then. I believe many people are not familiar with it. She really started talking.
completely. There is also now the Quiet on Set documentary series.
I really love all dialogue, especially dialogue in movies and TV. I haven't heard the music industry angle yet, so I thought it was time.
What will this book reveal for fans who already know many parts of your story?
Until I think back, I didn't even realize how protective I was of myself and others, and that I didn't really share much. I think some people think they know, or think that the thing that pained me the most was the dispute with the label. This is just a small sampling of my life and music industry experiences.
What is your writing process like?
I take my computer with me wherever I go to the park or a coffee shop. My uncle Scott Bryden is actually a published author and one of my favorite authors. I was like, "What advice would you give to someone who's writing a book but doesn't know what they're doing?" Like "Dance like no one is watching" or "Sing like no one can hear you." Same,” [but instead], “Write every day and don’t edit yourself in the process.”
What was the most rewarding part of this journey?
The opportunity to connect with people and have more conversations about the things I love to talk about. I really want to talk about my thoughts on addiction and how it's impacted my life, and fame, and specifically on the development of the brain and being a part of the system from a very young age, and fucking , wanting to change and grow from it. I felt very alone in this industry with no guidance. If I can make it a little easier for young people, then I'm really happy.
Tell me about the title, Beyond Influence.
I lost myself a lot of times at such a young age because you're trying to figure out who you are. There are a lot of people who could benefit from your different approach to nature, but I can't live like that anymore. It's about my experience growing up, [being] very close to addiction, like, "That's never going to be me," and then it just was me. And realizing that my mindset had a lot to do with my experiences.
What’s the hardest thing to write about?
I really care about people and I don't want to hurt anyone by telling the truth. But people are part of people's stories, so I would say the hardest thing is knowing what I can share about other people who are part of that story and achieving that balance.
Do you care about those people's reactions?
I'm prepared, but I'm human and I'm very sensitive. However, I am also in a season of wanting to share and connect, so I believe in that. Even though I'm talking about bad things, I'm doing it from a compassionate perspective.
Has revisiting your life in this way inspired any new music or other projects?
When I came back from Moulin Rouge , I felt very energized and full of life, so I incorporated that into the book and the music. I hope this is the final list for this chapter of my life and then I want to move on. This is new music, this is everything that comes next.
Over the Influence is out now on September 17th and can be pre-ordered here .
