JoJo is seeking serenity

Covering everything from Wiz Khalifa to the serenity prayer right through to the Blue Man Group, JoJo had an opinion for everything we threw at her.

Prior to the release of your album Mad Love you put out "III" - in your words, a “tringle” (triple single). Was that to test the water for the album release?

"Yes, honestly. I was nervous, and I think my label was too. They didn’t know what type of fanfare there would be. Once they saw the response, they were like 'oh, okay, we can put out a whole album on her!' I was like, 'yeah, no shit! Let’s go!' They wanted to go with one song in particular and I was not comfortable with just representing myself in that way - we needed to show a little bit more. That was how we decided on releasing three songs at once. You see artists doing things like that all the time now. I also wanted to represent the visually and be able to put out videos for them, so it was a bit of a soft introduction - dipping my foot in before I dove [sic] in."

When releasing a triple single, you have to spread your strengths across three tracks. Did you find it difficult to choose three songs that you had that much confidence in?

"There was compromise involved. I was like, 'if you [the label] put out these two songs, we can put out the song that you really like as well.' I’m not in this alone, I’m a part of a team. You keep that in mind. I think it’s natural to be a little bit scared and wonder if you’re doing the right thing, but if you were one hundred percent confident, you might be a sociopath!"

You worked with Benny Blanco on one third of the tringle, “When Love Hurts”, and you have previously talked about the influence of house music on your writing. Why is it important to you to branch out beyond pop music in your songwriting?

"I honestly am influenced mostly outside of pop music. It just so happens that when my influences come together, it culminates in something that could be called pop. It was natural that what I was listening to was going to seep into what I was making. That included house music, hip-hop, R&B, world music…"

“Music.” is the opening track on the album, and contains the lyric “Melody to cut through the addiction.” Can you elaborate on the story behind this track?

"I grew up in a house where my parents were trying to stay sober. I respect the anonymity of that situation, so I don’t want to give too many details, but that’s why music is a place where I could express how that felt - being a young girl with parents who had their own issues, as every parent does. That was my way of shining a light on myself."

Was that something you had wanted to explore as a writer for some time?

"Yes, it was. I honestly think that after my father passed away, I felt like I could talk about elements of my childhood. I never wanted to embarrass him."

Some of these themes were already present on “Save My Soul”, from the III. EP, as you mention in “The Story Of III.” on Spotify. In that clip, you also discuss your tattoo of the serenity prayer. How does that philosophy tie into these themes, and into your music more generally?

"Let me just refresh myself with the quote: 'God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.' It’s one of my favourite poems - or whatever it is! - of all time. I love that quote so much. It’s the AA quote! Anybody who’s struggling with addiction of any kind - whether it’s relationships, love addiction, or dependence on substances, sex addiction, things like that - any human being can apply this in times of struggle and say that prayer. I decided to get it permanently on me so I could look down and feel that strength."

Also in “Music.” is the line “What would I be without you?” - what do you think you would be doing now if you weren’t making music?

"I would probably be pursuing a higher education. When I was 18 I was deciding between filing this lawsuit or going to school - I was going to go to North Eastern University in Boston for sociology and anthropology. I imagine I would have continued going to school. Who knows if I’d have made it through those four years! I hope that I would, because one of my end goals is to have a PhD in something. I just want people to have to call me Doctor Levesque! I’d maybe be teaching - whether it’s something with sociology or something with music. It’s far-fetched though, I can’t imagine realistically doing anything else."

On Mad Love. you have several collaborations, including one with Wiz Khalifa. What drew you to working with him?

"Wiz is a labelmate of mine, on Atlantic. When we decided that 'Fuck Apologies' was going to be the first song that we went with, I thought that he would be a great fit for it. I was like, 'let’s send him the record, see what he thinks' and we got a response really quickly. He loved it, and sent back a verse with it. It just worked out, and then we shot the video. He was on tour in Europe and I was in California about to go start my tour, so I wasn’t able to be in the same place as him. We performed it together a couple of time, and he has such a chill, great energy. He’s such a free spirit, and I think he really embodies that sense of 'this is who I am, and if you don’t like it, you can fuck off.'"

What did you learn from the collaborative process on this album?

"With the three songs that I have collaborators on, I had already written the songs, and then I extended the invite for them to come on. Alessia [Cara] is a good friend of mine; I love her soul, her spirit. She’s such a special girl - I’m so proud of her! Her lack of ego is so beautiful. I know how it is to have success at a young age, and I love how grounded she is, and that her dad still travels with her. It puts a smile on my face being around her. She’s a light. I don’t know if I learned, but I was tickled!"

When you’re songwriting, do you have a fixed idea of each track’s finished sound?

"It depends. Production isn’t my strength, that’s lyrics and melodies. Once I’m working with somebody who I really trust, we’re birthing something together. They’ll start something, and if it doesn’t feel right, I go off a feeling and say, 'Let’s try this'. I’m so open to being wrong, and I like to work with people who are also open to being wrong. We put our egos to the side so that we can just play."

Were there tracks on the album that turned out differently to how you expected or intended?

"Oh my God, so many! I had this track come back for this song that I loved that sounded like the fucking Blue Man Group! I was like, 'what do you think this has to do with me? This sounds like some trashcans being beat together!' It could be interesting, but it’s all about the execution. There’s definitely stuff that just hasn’t been right."

You released some mixtapes independently a few years ago now. How was that process different for you?

"It was out of necessity that I released this music for free. I’m really thankful for that, because that was the direction that the music industry was moving in anyway, it was just not commonplace for female pop artists to put out mixtapes at the time when I started doing it. I took a page out of the book of what I saw dudes in hip-hop doing, and I just put out a friggin’ mixtape! It was important for me because from the age of twelve I had had so many people telling me what i needed to sound like, what I needed to do, what a hit was, and I didn’t go into these mixtapes thinking about hits. That was really freeing for me. Not everything is about a smash-you-in-the-face hit! It’s kind of annoying, and it wasn’t gratifying. After fighting so hard on the legal side, it was just nice to do something that soothed my soul."

How is it for you getting back onstage with a live band?

"Since my second album, since I was 15, I’ve always played with a band. I’ve been working with incredible musicians, that’s my comfort zone. I’m not a dancer, so I don’t feel most confident with dancers! It’s awesome. They’re really my brothers. It’s like a living organism that we make when we come together. We all breathe together, and it’s really fun."

Has the same band been with you throughout your previous work?

"I’ve worked with two of these guys for a year, and my guitarist Kenji [Chan] on and off for about three years."

Is it easier to make music that is considered hits with the freedom that you have now?

"I did feel pressure with this album, to satisfy different groups. I kept a lot of things in mind with the creation of this album. The freedom that I feel now really excited me, with getting back into the studio. I think that there’s things with this album that I really stood up for. I didn’t compromise who I was on this album, which I’ve done on previous incarnations of albums before, for fear. As the music industry changes, you see that there’s a lot more freedom. A hit doesn’t sound like one thing, a superstar doesn’t look one way. There’s no rules in 2017."

Are there any people in the industry right now who you think are really killing it?

"Anderson .Paak is the best, fucking incredible. I love him. I love Ro James. I love Solange. I love GALLANT. I love Thundercat. I think there’s really great, exciting music out there."