Suffering from problems at her label, Blackground Records, JoJo has had a hard time getting her music career to the level where it should be eight years after she first hit the scene with "Leave (Get Out)" .
With her third album now pushed back to a vague date in 2013, the plucky singer-songwriter has ignored the problems with her label, and instead taken the route of many an artist this year by releasing a free mixtape to satisfy fans and her own artistry.
JoJo had this to say about "AGÁPĒ" on her Tumblr:
My name is Joanna Noëlle Levesque and I’ve loved music more and longer than I’ve ever consistently loved anything in life. Music wakes me up and puts me to bed every single day, without fail. I obsess over it. I want to know everything about it! I want to snuggle with it at night. I want to be as close to it as friggin’ possible. When I was 17, I wanted to make it official. I snuck away from the hotel room my mom and I were staying at and got a tattoo. On my ring finger on the left hand; a treble clef. BAM. To remind me not to let anything, or anyone take precendent over the perfect mate I had in music. I feel often like I’m better explaining myself through song. Better than trying to talk about it. The older I got and the more music I inhaled and was exposed to, songwriting and interpreting other people’s songs became my most gratifying form of release. I felt the passion of my favorite artists coming through their records and I always wanted to emote like that. To be so powerful and connected so as to radiate such energy and truth.
I thought about naming this collection of songs “Live Free or Die” after the New Hampshire state motto (which inspired the tattoo on the back of my neck), but upon further thought, it sounded dramatic and militant and scary. And that it SO not what this is all about! Its really about friends coming together and bonding over a mutual love for music then seeing what grows out of it. Not about industry politics, agendas, empty-promises, ego, swag, pretension, or a budget of any kind.
THANK YOU for listening. You don’t know what it means to me to have a platform to express myself and interact with you. Doing what I love is an honor and a privilege. One that I take to heart. Oh to be making music in the modern time…The internet has changed my life, man! Who’da thunk it. I’m thankful and more excited than ever for the future. My story is unique, confusing, and tumultuous at times. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
AGÁPĒ
Filled with revealing lyrics, urban beats and, of course, JoJo's powerful pipes, this is one mixtape that you won't want to miss!
Loved it instantly. Compared to her past material, you can definitely feel that Agape is a lot more organic.
ReplyDeleteYou liking it Mel made me real curious but alas....link didn't work.
ReplyDeleteSo...just taking the opportunity to sent you seasons greetings. May your holidays be filled with love and merriment! :-)
Updated, Thanks for the heads up :D
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure out whether Jojo deserves to be on #teamContralto.....Currently listening to the album...... I gotta listen. SHHHHH Everybody....
ReplyDeleteShe's a mezzo soprano.
ReplyDeleteseeing several live performances is what leaves me to believe she is a contralto her lower range her timbe is dark and overdeveloped
ReplyDeleteThanks DD. That one did download on my tablet. :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you would like it Opie, I'm inclined to say probably not, but I could be wrong. I personally find her to be very talented and beautiful though. Also, seeing you comment reminds me that I watched an interview that cnn did with Alison Krauss, and it made me very interested in her music; I particularly liked how humble and genuine she seemed. Also, She gave Kimbra (who I also like very much) a shout out. And awww thank you for the holiday wishes, I really appreciate it. I hope your holidays are filled with just as much warmth and love. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't know why people want to classify her as a Contralto. Her voice is no where near as heavy enough, and her ability to easily float from her lows to highs leads me to believe she's a mezzo. Also, she rarely digs for those lower notes live. She completely avoids those Bb2s on demonstrate when she performs it live and relies on the backing track.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to the full tape, I think is authentic to her, Its very cohesive, I like it, very underrated artist.
ReplyDeletePeople nowadays think that any female with a lower register who isn't a blatant soprano or has a slightly lower voice than the typical mezzo is a dead ringer for a contralto.
ReplyDeleteHere's a recent performance where she goes for just about all of them fairly easily http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uapwFcg-kA
Haven't listened to it yet and you might be correct but I meant that your comments lead me to think your tastes run sufficienty different enough for me to be interested enough to check them out. :-)
ReplyDeleteMuch like I did with the songs Alison mentioned in that interview. Sometimes such searches pay off, sometimes not. Can' t say I like Zapp and roger much. And though I had checked out Kimbra already as she had been mentiioned on this blog as well and she sounds like a good singer to me, can't say her voice had that deep an effect on me.
And yes, Alison does seem genuine. It is relflected in her music and one reason I like that music as much as I do.
I tthought this was best reflected in her answer regarding advice to young singers.
Obviously I would totally recommend anybody to check out her work. ;-)
Agreed. JoJo was a mezzo at the start of her career and still is a mezzo in my opinion. Her voice matured and lowered but she still has the timbre and placements of a mezzo. She's not a contralto. Her voice has a soulful color that is darker than that of a typical soprano but it's not androgynous or heavy. And her head voice is rather bright and easily accessed.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I always thought she was a bit underrated but I am happy she set off on an indie trek given her issues with her label.
Those notes are B2's, not Bb2's and she has hit them live.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quzoz1rk4eM
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plCooD08Ss
Oh thanks for this video. I was waiting for the next song from that acoustic set to drop, and yes she finally hit them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this video, I wanted to see this performance from a front view. Very sexy, I loved the fact that she worked some waist (something that always gets my seal of approval haha).
ReplyDeleteOpie, I think that you'd like 'We'd get by' in the album. Strong writing and the melody, ahhh. TBF, the writing's quite strong throughout. Must be because it doesn't venture too often in that R'N'B luv mushiness.
ReplyDeleteLOL I don't know who you are and how you know my taste but pretty good call. I did kinda like that one. Have heard the first four songs so far and though it doesn't exactly blow my mind, I don't have much bad to say about it either and don't find it a chore to listen to jojo's music. :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsVvNRV17Vg Someone did her Vocal Range for Agape
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