One of the best things about 2020 has been the music that has come out of it. I’d like to highlight one of the hardest working musicians of the pandemic, JoJo. That’s right, "Leave (Get Out)" and "Too Little Too Late" hitmaker, JoJo is BACK. Just in case you’re living under a rock, I’d love to go back and highlight all of the ways that JoJo has been the gift that keeps on giving in 2020.
1) Her collaboration with PJ Morton won a Grammy!
JoJo has always been criminally underrated by the general public and even within the music industry. However, those who know about JoJo know how talented she truly is. Her collaboration with R&B/Soul singer PJ Morton launched her into a new level in her career. The song “Say So” was a single off PJ’s album Paul and it reached #10 at R&B radio in 2019. The song also had high profile performances on The Today Show and at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA. To top it all off, “Say So” won R&B Song at the 2020 Grammy Awards! Quite the way to start a new year!
2) Her lead single “Man”
After a couple of lead single changes, JoJo finally launched the Good to Know era in March with her lead single “Man.” “Man” is a smooth R&B jam that sampled Kiana Lede’s 2019 single “Ex”. “Man” even gave JoJo her highest peak on pop radio in almost 10 years. For someone who has been in and out of the radio part of the music industry, to have a song chart on pop radio while being 16 years into your career is a huge accomplishment.
3) Her album Good to Know
Three and a half years after Mad Love came out, JoJo released her new album Good to Know on May 1, 2020. That’s right, JoJo released a new album in the middle of the pandemic. Not even a pandemic can stop this woman’s work ethic! The standard version that is available on all streaming platforms features nine songs, but these nine songs pack a punch. It takes you on a journey like her 2012 mixtape, Agape. All the songs are fire, but standouts include "Pedialyte," "Small Things," and "Comeback."
4) The acoustic version of Good to Know
As if releasing an album in the middle of a pandemic wasn’t enough, JoJo decided to do it all over again. She released an acoustic version of Good to Know in July 2020. The acoustic album featured all the songs from Good to Know, but with different production and some different arrangements. She even included new verses on "Comeback" and "Gold!"
5) Music videos & Instagram Live
It’s much harder to promote an album during the midst of a pandemic than it is in normal times. Artists can’t tour or make as many promotional appearances on TV. It makes making a music video much harder than it would normally be. However, that didn’t stop JoJo. JoJo was on Instagram Live every weekday at the beginning of the pandemic. She also appeared on other peoples' live streams including on Tori Kelly’s Instagram Live. She did many Instagram Live interviews with radio stations and made sure people knew she was back. She also made multiple music videos during the pandemic. The video for "Comeback" was shot entirely at home! She ended up releasing six videos (including "Man" and "Comeback") thus far since beginning the Good to Know era.
6) TikTok
TikTok has proven to be a vital platform for artists during this time. JoJo’s song “Comeback” ended up going viral on TikTok and has been a hit on Spotify’s R&B playlists as well. In addition to “Comeback” going viral, she also made a COVID inspired version of her 2004 hit “Leave (Get Out)” called “Chill (Stay In)”. That video has almost 500,000 likes and more than 4 million views on TikTok.
7) The deluxe version of Good to Know
By now, you’re getting why I say that JoJo is the hardest working musician in this pandemic. She’s already released Good to Know and Good to Know (Acoustic). Most people would stop there, but not JoJo. The deluxe version of the album features the solo version of “Comeback”, a remix of “Lonely Hearts” featuring Demi Lovato, and five new songs (including one featuring Tinashe).
Good to Know (deluxe) drops Friday, August 28 on Warner Records! Follow @KBPopCulture on social media for the latest in music news.