About this episodeJoJo discusses her evolution from a teen pop star to an artist seeking authenticity, detailing her songwriting…AI summary
JoJo discusses her evolution from a teen pop star to an artist seeking authenticity, detailing her songwriting process, creative collaborations, and personal growth. She shares insights on vocal care, the impact of AI on music, and the importance of redefining success beyond chart positions. The conversation highlights her journey of self-discovery, including moving to New York, overcoming industry pressures, and finding joy in her craft.
Key takeaways 7
JoJo's songwriting process is highly collaborative and communal, often involving writer's camps with 3-5 people where she values the 'magic' that happens within the first hour or two.
She believes in projecting truth, love, and empowerment in her art rather than 'trauma dumping' in sessions, preferring to debrief and process emotions after the creative work is done.
JoJo redefined success for herself by moving away from chart positions and industry validation to focusing on alignment, respect, and the ability to make a living doing what she loves.
She advocates for young artists to learn engineering and production to become self-sufficient and avoid dependency on others for logistical tasks.
JoJo sees AI in music as an interesting cultural shift but believes the pendulum will swing back towards valuing human authenticity and live performance.
Her move from Los Angeles to New York was a pivotal moment that allowed her to escape the 'desperation' of Hollywood and reconnect with her love for theater and authentic community.
JoJo has irrational fears including paper cuts in the eyeball and Dobermans, stemming from a past bite incident.
Notable quotes 5AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.
“I think that using it as a therapy session is not always the most productive thing... I don't want to put that out in the world. That's actually not what I want my contribution to be right now. I want to act as if I want to project another truth within me, which is love and strength and resonance and empowerment.”
Explaining her approach to songwriting sessions and why she avoids trauma dumping.
“If I like what I'm doing and I know it's to the best of my ability and I can see or I can feel that it's resonating with who is there... and that I can be paid and that I can live a a life that is a little more than comfortable... I find that to be successful.”
▶ 1:34:40Defining her current metric for success, contrasting it with early career chart positions.
“The advice that I would give is learn how to be self-sufficient. So you don't have to, you know, depend on like me doing a show and trying to track down this MD or this producer... get really obsessed with with your craft... and get comfortable with promoting your music.”
▶ 1:40:12Advice for younger artists regarding technical skills and business autonomy.
“I'm in a season of trying things on but not in the same way that I was trying them on in my 20s. I think my 30s have really felt like such a gift for making it through my uncomfortable, weird, messy, dangerous 20s.”
▶ 16:14Reflecting on her personal growth and artistic evolution in her 30s.
“I think it's interesting above all. I think that we you don't need to be a great singer to be really impactful... It's actually pretty good and pretty impressive that they had their own sound, their own tone, their own like vibes for real.”
▶ 1:00:49Her perspective on the impact of autotune and AI versus raw vocal talent.
Chapters & Sections (49)▼
0:00JoJo's Coffee Preferences and Book Journeychapter2
2:04JoJo's Career Achievements and Memoir
3:49JoJo's Coffee Order and Book Discussion
6:35Songwriting Process and Creative Collaborationchapter2
8:31Songwriting Camps and Creative Magic
10:20Therapy vs Productivity in Songwriting
14:01Artistic Authenticity and Diva Rider Requestschapter1
17:47Diva Rider Requests and Weird Snacks
19:40Vocal Care, Dream Analysis, and Irrational Fearschapter3
22:03Dream Analysis and Subconscious Fears
23:32Irrational Fears and Phobias
24:47Irrational Fears of Pickles and Paper Cuts
26:08Phobias, Boston Accent Loss, and Soul Music Traumachapter3
28:20Boston Accent Loss and Voice Acting
30:54Loss of Regional Accents and Cursive
32:41James Brown Screams and Soul Music Pain
34:18Ghosting, Boundaries, and Morning Routineschapter2
36:22Ghosting, Family Boundaries, and Morning Habits
38:09Morning Alarm Strategies and Affirmations
40:01Sleep, Creative Blocks, and Hotel Stealingchapter1
43:25Biscoff Cookies and Theater Compliments
45:16Chess Musical Vocal Training and Artistrychapter1
47:31Chess Musical Vocal Challenges and Artistry
50:27Music Industry Toxicity and Artistic Evolutionchapter2
53:30Drake's Marvin's Room and 40 Collaboration
54:58Artistic Evolution and Imposter Syndrome
58:03AI Music Impact on Craft and Humanitychapter2
59:48Anthropological View on Music Culture and Autotune
1:01:38Musical Theater and Human Craft
1:04:05Music Industry Views and NYC Movechapter2
1:05:49Leaving LA for New York Theater
1:08:06Preparation, Cooking, Creativity, and Mercury Retrograde
1:11:36Childhood memories, hometown spots, and career lessonschapter2
1:13:25Hometown spots and performance preparation
1:16:06Pivoting from setbacks to new opportunities
1:18:32Guilty Pleasure Movies, Car Accident, and Artist Recommendationschapter2
1:20:22Unexpected Friendships and Catholic Humor
1:21:38Five Underrated Artists Recommendations
1:22:55Karaoke preferences and song originschapter1
1:25:02Celtic influences and self-forgiveness
1:27:38Favorite Song and Comeback Controversychapter1
1:30:04Collaboration Controversy and Redefining Success
1:33:41Redefining Success and Family Music Memorieschapter1
1:35:37Childhood Car Rides and Musical Bonding
1:38:21Music Video Direction and Career Advicechapter2
1:40:46Self-Sufficiency and Advocating for Yourself
1:42:34Navigating Discomfort and Career Boundaries
1:45:14Awkward Fan Moments and Collecting Habitschapter1
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