Review: JoJo is a star who has created her own new era

Chicago Tribune

16-03-2025

A star is reborn.
After years of label struggles and buried music, JoJo — the former child pop star turned seasoned vocalist and Broadway star — returned to the stage to much fanfare. Her sold-out performance at the new Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport was part of the Too Much to Say tour, a nostalgia-filled ode to her past and a celebration of the artist today. Confident, sensual, and charismatic, this is a JoJo who knows who she is and what she wants to be as an artist — fearless and relatable.
Throughout the evening, the performer (aka Joanna Levesque, looking like a true rock star in matching black leather pants and a jacket) had the respectful and considerate audience in the palm of her hand. Despite the packed room, a casually dressed crowd clad in jeans and gym shoes felt at ease as the cool and fabulous singer-songwriter moved fluidly through a set list of old tunes (such as 'Like That') and new songs (like 2020's 'Bad Habits' and 2025's 'Start Over') that clocked in at around an hour and a half.
'Thank you to my day ones who are here,' she said, before asking if she had any fans from those early years. A large portion of the crowd cheered, yet the audience still felt (or at least looked) surprisingly young for an artist who first found fame as a 13-year-old more than 20 years ago. I expected folks around my own age, who experienced JoJo's first round of fame around the same age that she was.
But the crowd felt very mixed (younger millennials and Gen Z) — old heads and new listeners who are maybe less aware of the musical drought fans and the singer herself experienced when she was trapped in a less-than-ideal contract. This period of label sabotage eventually led to JoJo doing something other artists (i.e. Taylor Swift) have attempted as of late: re-recording her music.
That risk proved to be the ultimate payoff, and since then, the artist has experienced an abundance of creative flow and experimentation.
In January she released her latest collection, a short (22 minutes) EP reflecting her eclectic pop sensibilities. The more straightforward bubblegum R&B that defined her sound decades earlier is gone (although she's as soulful as ever). Instead, she's found her groove in tracks that traverse a clearly expansive yet groove-heavy music taste.
Think rumbling funk, like on the sort-of album opener 'Nobody,' which also served as the opener for last night's show. The self-assured song ('I've been humble way too long,' she sings) is a pure earworm, reminding me of the turn-of-the-century neo-soul of artists like D'Angelo and Musiq Soulchild.
Or consider the U.K. garage aesthetics of a song like 'Porcelain,' a surprising, delightful, and danceable expansion of her oeuvre heard toward the end of her set. It is one of her best tracks and sounds just as effervescent live. This is the artist we've all been waiting for, one who's finally found room to breathe and flourish through her own singular voice.
Still, she left room for lots of her older hits. 'Let's take it back to 2004,' she said before jumping into her song 'Baby It's You.' The audience jumped into action, singing along to every work of the song. This occurred again toward the end of the night, too, during performances of 'Leave (Get Out)' her breakthrough debut single and 'Too Little Too Late.' Her voice was incredible throughout the night and on these songs, just crisp and warm as she slid through challenging vocal riffs.
1 of
JoJo performs at the Ramova Theatre in Chicago on March 15, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Later, she threw in a number of covers, including SZA's 'Love Galore' and Teddy Swims' 'Lose Control.' Her infamous rework of Drake's 'Marvin's Room' was a real showstopper. A woman behind me proudly shouted that it's better than the original — and she was absolutely correct. JoJo's playful, relatable lyrics take the track's forlorn lyrics and transforms them into a humorous, biting sendoff to a scummy ex.
And during her cover of SWV's 'Weak,' which she originally recorded back in 2003, she invited an audience member to sing on stage with her. Humble and gracious, she gave the other woman a moment to shine — and shine she did. More than anything, it is that strong audience connection that likely keeps fans coming back for more.
'Tonight is just about telling some stories,' she said at one point during the evening. 'It's about connecting as human beings. 'When we come together , that's such a powerful thing.' That welcoming approach to her performance made for an overall dynamic show filled with glimpses into the next era of JoJo, an artist whose future seems exceedingly bright.