Watch JoJo Talk Label Troubles, Comeback: ‘I’m Ready to Stop Struggling’

Singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque debuted in a big way at the age of 13. In 2004, she had a smash hit with the R&B-tinged pop track “Leave (Get Out).” Eleven years after her debut and following a record-label debacle that left her music stranded, JoJo sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about her comeback for our weekly series “The Encore.”

“This shit feels really heavy, talking about the journey and the struggle,” JoJo begins. “I’m ready to stop struggling, dammit!” In this episode of “The Encore,” the singer recounts her whirlwind ascent, from singing at salons to starring in family-friendly movies like Aquamarine and RV.

From there, JoJo clashed with her label and began to release mixtapes independently. She eventually sued her old label and broke free. “My die-hard fans are everything,” she adds. “They really give me life, and they kept me going when I was considering if it was even worth it and if anybody cared.” JoJo will release her third official album via Atlantic.