Inside JoJo's life – gruelling lawsuit, Hannah Montana role and depression battle

JoJo Levesque was a name on everybody’s lips in the early noughties, particularly after her release of Leave (Get Out) in 2004.

From her outrageously high chart toppers including Leave (Get Out), Too Little Too Late and Baby It’s You to her leading role in Aquamarine in 2006, JoJo was widely recognised across the industry.

However, in the late Noughties and early Tens, fans didn’t hear much more from fan-favourite JoJo – and it wasn’t until recent years that she explained why.

Her life wasn’t easy as she continued to grow up in the public eye, and in light of her 31st birthday, Daily Star has looked into her life including her career and highs and lows.

Lawsuit

Way before Taylor Swift’s very public legal battle and ultimately her decision to re-record all her old albums, JoJo faced similar circumstances of her own.

In 2009 JoJo first sued her former record label over a dispute about her recording contract in 2009. It took longer than anticipated but in 2013 she was finally released from the contract after a settlement was agreed.

From 2009 to 2013 the singer was unable to release new music and her back catalogue was unavailable to stream or buy.

In 2018, she re-released her first two albums and made them public for people to listen to her music once again.

At the time she told People that Taylor had invited her over and told her she couldn’t believe what JoJo was going through.

In the interview, she said: “She couldn’t have ever known that she would go through something similar where her catalogue was bought from her.”

JoJo has released multiple albums since she was released from her contract, including Mad Love, Good to Know and, most recently, Trying Not To Think About It.

Downwards spiral

JoJo went on a downwards spiral after she was left unable to release any new songs.

In an interview with UPROXX she said that she was told she needed to look “as healthy as possible” and was placed with a nutritionist.

She said: “I ended up getting put with a nutritionist who had me on a 500-calorie-a-day diet. I was on these injections that make you have no appetite.

“I was like, ‘Let me see how thin I could become because maybe then they will put out an album. Maybe I’m so disgusting that nobody wants to see me in the video and they can’t even look at me.’ That’s really what I thought.”

She said that ultimately it landed her in a downwards spiral of drugs, alcohol and partying.

Hannah Montana

While most people couldn’t possibly imagine anybody other than Miley Cyrus playing the iconic Hannah Montana, it was almost somebody different.

Disney Channel wanted JoJo to play the lead role as they thought Miley was too “young and small” for the part.

In 2008, JoJo told Extra TV that she has “no regrets” over turning down the role, adding that it’s not what she sees for herself.

Years after she turned down the role, Miley Cyrus was selected and ultimately catapulted her into fame.

Turning to drink

JoJo spoke to People previously and confessed that she coped with her struggles by “drinking too much”.

She said that she wanted to get out of her mind and stop picking herself apart. JoJo continued: “I just wanted to feel good, to chase that high.

“I wanted to stop worrying about my career. And when you get out of your mind, when you get to that point when you black out, you don’t give a s*** about anything.”

JoJo opened up about how she believes in talking to a therapist and working on mental health, adding: “I do all those things.”

Clinical depression

Speaking to the same publication, she confessed that she had been battling depression for 10 years, but confessed she didn’t feel “any shame seeking help”.

She said that she knew she needed a little help and began seeing a therapist and taking antidepressants since she was 18 years old.

The singer also said that her mental health journey inspired her new album Good to Know.

Comeback

After years of battling and her personal struggles, JoJo has returned to doing what she loves and has been focusing on the music.

JoJo will be kicking off her tour in February through to March as she prepares to return to the stage – much to her fans’ enjoyment.

She often interacts with her fans and followers online as she teases new music and projects.

After a challenging time growing up in the music industry, JoJo is making the most of her comeback and she’s not holding anything back.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk