- Mike “Ohrangu” Tang
JoJo performs tomorrow night (Saturday, November 28) at the Wonder Ballroom. Details here.
JoJo Levesque has had a rough go of it lately.
On November 14, the pop star’s father, Joel Levesque, passed away. JoJo posted a tribute on Instagram, promising to keep singing for him.
The next day, she—understandably—canceled our phone interview, but she soldiered through a performance of the national anthem at a NASCAR race in Phoenix. She dedicated that performance to her dad, a disabled veteran. Since then, her social media posts have featured a mix of standard tour photos, song lyrics, and pictures of Dad. “It’s not easy planning my dad’s funeral with my aunts while keeping my obligations to my career and to myself,” she wrote.
JoJo’s loss is just the latest bump in a long and rugged road for one of the most star-crossed artists in recent memory. Her current tour is a major part of the plan to put her career back on track after years of confusion, inactivity, and wasted time. It’s no wonder she’s sticking with it even after the loss of a parent.
JoJo’s career started with historical success, as the first single from her 2004 self-titled debut album reached the top of Billboard’s Pop 100 chart when she was only 13 years old, making her the youngest artist to chart a #1 hit in the United States. JoJo sold three million copies worldwide, and a sophomore album, The High Road, came out in 2006, but that’s when things began to go sour.