Jojo

Growing up on the outskirts of Boston, MA, JoJo listened and learned as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing by imitating her mother, but quickly put her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. An ad in the paper announcing open auditions for the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston lead to the young singer wowing the audience along with the show's host, Bill Cosby, and eventually led to a phone call from Oprah Winfrey offering Jojo a spot on her show. Appearances on talk shows and gospel festivals followed, but it was her appearance on the television show America's Most Talented Kids that brought the call from producer Vincent Herbert. The former Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, and Destiny's Child producer had the young singer signed to Blackground Records and arranged sessions with famed producers like the Underdogs and Soulshock & Karlin. Her eponymous debut album followed in June 2004. Since that time, Jojo has added actress to her résumé, starring in the comedies Aquamarine and RV with Robin Williams. She released her sophomore effort, The High Road, in 2006. ~ David Jeffries