JoJo signed a record deal at the age of 12, which ensured that her teenage years would be radically different from everyone else her age. The chart-topping pop star and successful actress chronicles the highs and frequent lows of her entertainment career in the just released memoir, Over the Influence. Jojo, whose real name is Joanna Levesque, candidly shares the struggles she faced adjusting to fame at an early age, as well as her battles with depression and substance abuse. “It was definitely cathartic and just an exercise in getting over my fear of being seen, of putting myself out there,” says Levesque, now 33. “Is my story interesting enough? Am I capable of telling it?” JoJo wrote the book in 18 months, drawing from journals she’s kept throughout her 20-year career. “Making it to my 30s is a gift,” Levesque says. “I definitely feel so much more comfortable and confident about who I am, where I am, what I’ve been and owning it all. (Variety)
