JoJo Releases New Album ‘good to know’ + New Visual for ‘Lonely Hearts’
One of our favorites, JoJo has released her fourth studio album.
The new release is entitled “good to know” which is described as raw, reckless badassery juxtaposed by introspective R&B, sticky hooks and lush harmonics.
JoJo worked with heavy-hitting producers Doc McKinney, Lido and 30 Roc to hone the sound, and dug deep within herself to at first escape, but ultimately embrace and channel her insecurities into a place of self-love.
When JoJo debuted in 2004, we were one of the first outlets to interview her. At age 13 she told us; “I’ve been working for this my whole life really. Now it’s just paying off and I’m excited about what’s ahead.”
JoJo has most definitely had an amazing journey in not only music, but Hollywood as well. We’re so proud of what she has achieved in her career, and excited for what’s to come in this era.
UB‘s favorite stand-out tracks on “good to know“; “Lonely Hearts,” “Comeback” featuring Tory Lanez and 30 Roc, “Pedialyte” and “Don’t Talk Me Down.”
On the heels of the release, JoJo has also released the visual for her hot new new single “Lonely Hearts.” The visual is directed by Zelda Williams.
Watch the visual and stream the release below.
JoJo’s star has remained bright too, despite being unable to officially release music for a decade due to legal struggles with former label Blackground. Even after the breakout success, it was her independently released mixtapes between the years of 2010 and 2014 that truly cemented JoJo’s legitimacy as an artist – earning her both critical and peer support across the board, with artists ranging from SZA, Ella Mai and Maren Morris to Sam Smith, Camila Cabello, and Anne-Marie counted among her fans. In 2016, she made her heralded return to music with her first new album in 10 years, Mad Love. – debuting Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 and receiving praise from the likes of TIME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Cosmo, Entertainment Weekly and more. Most recently, JoJo re-recorded and re-released her first two albums (JoJo and The High Road) under her own label Clover Music, not wanting anyone to erase her legacy and story. She took back ownership, and was able to “give the fans the nostalgia that they couldn’t get” during her years of legal battles with her former label that prevented the albums from existing on digital platforms. She has also pushed herself outside the confines of genre, in the past year alone collaborating with artists ranging from PJ Morton [on the Top 10 R&B hit “Say So”] and Jacob Collier [lending her vocal stylings to the jazzy “It Don’t Matter”] to Tank [on his latest release “Somebody Else”].
And so, she’s not here to talk about any drama today. Instead, she has a new body of work to be released via Clover Music, through a joint venture with Warner Records. She’s feeling confident, hopeful – excited to be starting to share the music with the world and proud of the album to come in 2020. Her nerves discussing new music are palpable, though. She’s anxious to convey just how much it means to her. “I want to be as grossly vulnerable as possible,” she says.
For the past year, JoJo has been working on music between LA and Toronto, with the help of producers Doc McKinney [The Weeknd, Santigold] and Lido [Halsey, Chance The Rapper]. “Joanna” is the first track she wrote, setting her own tone for what was to come. Renting an AirBnB with her best songwriting girlfriends, she started writing freestyles from a place of security and acceptance. “Freestyling is my way of getting out of my head,” she says. “Joanna” is a reflection on social media – specifically about the vicious judgment that takes place on social media and the toxic effects. It’s a chance for her to empower herself. Not all the criticism is external either. “Nobody can go harder on me than myself,” she says.
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