JoJo Found Herself 'Free Falling' in Life. Now She Feels 'Liberated' to Share Emotional New Music (Exclusive)
Fresh off the success of her 'Over the Influence' memoir, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque tells PEOPLE about her new single, "Porcelain"
It's finally time for new music from Joanna "JoJo" Levesque.
Fresh off the success of her New York Times bestselling memoir Over the Influence, the 33-year-old powerhouse vocalist unveiled her first new single in three years, "Porcelain," on Oct. 2, and she feels "liberated" by the release.
A lyrically emotional and empowering anthem about growth, "Porcelain" utilizes a sample of Uncle Luke and 2 Live Crew's "I Wanna Rock" to become a bouncy banger that'll have listeners reflecting on life while they dance — which is exactly what JoJo did while writing the track.
"Porcelain" was born after JoJo's first run in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway concluded in July 2023, and she returned to Los Angeles following "an amazing five months" in the Big Apple. "I was charged-up and vibrating with energy," she tells PEOPLE in a statement.
"I’d been looking at pictures of the Japanese art of kintsugi, which is when broken pottery is repaired with gold, silver, or platinum," she explains. "It struck me how so many of us are walking around like human kintsugi, imperfect and put back together even more beautifully after being broken."
The performer had recently experienced "so much change in such a short amount of time," having split from ex-fiancé Dexter Darden, moved across the country and decided she was "no longer playing the major label game," as she'd launched her own independent label, Clover Records.
"I felt myself free falling in every way," recalls JoJo. "But instead of feeling afraid, this time I was liberated."
After opening about many elements of her life (child stardom, addiction, relationships, music industry struggles and more) in order to write Over the Influence, she felt drawn to release "Porcelain" as her first fully independent single through Clover Records in partnership with BMG Rights Management.
"There’s been such incredible support around my memoir," she adds, "and the message of this song that I made with my friends Theron 'Neff-U' Feemster, David Williams and Lil’ Eddie felt like divine timing."
JoJo explains of crafting the track, "As much as it’s a sample-heavy track — shout out to Uncle Luke for clearing it for ya girl — we actually wrote the whole song to live instruments. It started as a jam in the live room. Then, we decided to infuse it with my euphoria, catharsis and energy."
The process of "riding the waves of creation and inspiration" with her collaborators in the studio was "so fun," and the fruits of their creative labor are quite representative of the lessons JoJo learned from the experiences outlined in her memoir.
"I firmly believe sometimes you have to breakdown to break through," she declares. "I’ve been many different versions of myself, and I imagine that won’t change anytime soon. 'Porcelain' is a celebration of surrender and strength."
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Read the original article on People.