JoJo was “depressed” for years due to an intense conflict with her former record label.
The 24-year-old singer’s eponymous debut album went platinum when it was released in 2004, with hits like Leave (Get Out) and Baby It’s You selling well with listeners worldwide.
But due to a legal battle with record label Blackground Music, she was unable to release a full LP for over a decade and JoJo suffered deeply not being able to share new sounds with fans for so long.
“I wanted to express myself musically and the fact that I couldn’t was the most frustrating thing ever,” JoJo told MTV News. “I was very depressed. It’s not in the past; that’s probably something that will stay with me and hopefully I won’t be as down as I had been, but it really put things in perspective for me — it made me appreciate things a lot more the second time around.”
In 2013 JoJo sued Blackground Music for preventing her from generating a new full-length LP. The matter was later resolved and she signed with Atlantic Records in 2014. To keep sane while not making music, JoJo enrolled in Northeastern University, majoring in cultural anthropology.
She is now promoting three new singles entitled Say Love, Save My Soul and When Love Hurts.
JoJo wants to please fans with her upcoming album and the songstress hopes listeners are open to the authenticity she’s laced into every track.
“I didn’t want to harp on negativity and bring things from the past in, but I’m definitely writing from an honest place; I’m a pretty raw person period,” she said. “I can’t even help myself. I’ll walk into the studio and be very on the edge of whatever it is I’m feeling and can’t help but be affected by that. Singing is my favourite form of expression.”
