Pop Singer JoJo on How Her Debut Memoir ‘Over the Influence’ Is a Lesson in Resilience: ‘Making It to My 30s Is a Gift’
variety.comSteven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer For Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, life has been a series of scraping highs and deep lows. On the surface, the singer was once the portrait of the American dream: a record deal at 12 years old, two hit albums with smash singles permanently etched into the pantheon of modern pop classics, acting roles in major films alongside Robin Williams and Emma Roberts.
But the momentum slowed — for every win she stacked in her teenage years, she faced a cascade of setbacks that left her consistently questioning not only her future in the music industry but also her faith in the world and, frequently, those closest to her.
Levesque traces the arc of her tumultuous life in her debut memoir “Over the Influence,” out today via Hatchette Books. Applied to her story, the title nods to the themes permeating through the narrative: her parents’ addictions and how they affected her; the overbearing hands of the music industry guiding her career and artistic decisions; and the influence that her own emotions had in prompting periods of depression and self-destruction. “It was definitely cathartic and just an exercise in getting over my fear of being seen, of putting myself out there,” Levesque, 33, tells Variety of “Over the Influence,” which she wrote in 18 months based on journals she kept throughout the years. “Is my story interesting enough?
Am I capable of telling it? And then knowing that I needed to break through any of those roadblocks that I put before myself.” “Over the Influence” is a visceral and candid read, told with clarity and self-awareness.
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