JoJo reflects on tumultuous upbringing with underage drinking and attending college parties in her teens -- after being sexualised as a child with inappropriate songs and 'too sexy' styling

While the catchy tune and soulful vocals still makes music fans' heads bop like it came out yesterday, it's hard to believe that JoJo's hit song Too Little Too Late was released 20 years ago.

Fresh from soaring to fame thanks to her huge debut single Leave (Get Out), the singer, 35, was just 15-years-old at the time of recording with the track going on to become her second big hit as it reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. 

But, while JoJo garnered legions of fans and cemented herself as a pop princess, her squeaky clean persona was somewhat tarnished due to her sexualised look and the inappropriate lyrics featured in many of her songs. 

However, the star- whose real name is Joanna Noëlle Levesque – seems to have brushed aside the controversy surrounding her younger years as she fondly looked back at the music video two decades on, where she admitted to under-age drinking and attending a college party following filming.

Taking to her Instagram, JoJo gave her commentary on the video, revealing that her love interest was a 'real UCLA soccer' player – with the handsome male being UCLA Bruins' Mike Zaher who was months away from his 21st birthday.

Reflecting on filming the video, JoJo, who was 15 at the time, shared: 'I ended hanging out with this guy, who was just a few years older, and going to UCLA and like underage drinking and going to parties and stuff. 

'It was one of my first times going to a college party!'

Indeed while JoJo laughs off the fact that she happily partied and consumed alcohol with an older guy while six years below the legal drinking age, her words are ironic considering that many of her songs have been deemed 'inappropriate' for a teenager thanks to their risqué lyrics.

While her catchy pop tracks have proved a long-lasting hit with fans, some of the inappropriate lyrics about satisfying a woman and barhopping seem deeply unsuitable for a teenage girl to sing. 

JoJo does have writing credits on some of these tracks – including How To Touch A Girl – but they were largely penned by a male writing team.

It is common for songwriters to pen songs and then tout them around various artists before they are picked up – so they may not have known who they were writing for.

JoJo's debut single Leave (Get Out) has gone down in history as a Noughties classic, however there is a more sinister tone to the catchy track.

Looking back, it doesn't seem like a romantic relationship is an appropriate topic for a 13-year-old to be covering and hinted at content way beyond her young years.

The track, which was penned by four different men, Soulshock, Kenneth, Alex Cantrell, Phillip 'Silky' White, paved the way for more suggestive lyrics.

The opening verse to the song reads: I've been waiting all day here for you bae // So won't you come and sit and talk to me? And tell me how we're gonna be together, always // Hope you know that when it's late at night //

'I hold on to my pillow tight // And think of how you promised me forever.'

Arguably one of the most risqué topics covered by JoJo was in her track How to Touch A Girl, which she has writing credits for alongside Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander.

The track was released in 2006 when JoJo was just 16 years of age and written when she was even younger, the song included lyrics which alluded to satisfying a woman.

It includes lyrics like: 'Feel somethin' happening // Could this be a spark? To satisfy me, baby // Gotta satisfy my heart.

'Do you know how to touch a girl? // If you want me so much //First I have to know/.'

The same could be said for another of JoJo's songs –  Not That Kinda Girl (2004), co-written by Neely Dinkins, B. Cola Pietro, Muhammad, Jordan.

Despite being written and released when she was just 14 years old – seven years under the legal age limit for drinking alcohol in America – JoJo sang about barhopping.

The lyrics read: 'I'm not your everyday, 'round the way // Don't go bar-hoppin,' chillin' on the block // On a cell phone frontin' Never that, 'cause I'm not that kinda girl'.

Even the words of Too Little Too Late could raise some eyebrows, with the opening lyrics seeing her ask her male love interest to 'Come with me, stay the night'.

JoJo herself admitted that the lyrics to her songs were too old for her at the time.

Speaking in a video for Uproxx in 2020, she said: '13 is just so weird. To be singing lyrics that grown.'

Likewise, at the height of her fame, parents and critics were calling out the record industry for sexualising her, insisting that her styling was 'too sexy' and mature for her age.

Her heavy make-up and adult-style clothes were called into question, with a record industry insider telling the Irish Examiner: 'There has been mention of some parents saying they think it's inappropriate for someone as young as her to be dressing in such provocative clothes.

'Although she doesn't wear anything too revealing, it's not attire which is usually seen on 13-year-olds.'

Her older than her years looks are still being talked about these days, with users on Reddit reflecting on her styling just last year.

One user shared: 'Examining her music videos, it's a bit more obvious due to her soft looks. But, they tried really hard to make her look 16-18. Shots angled in a way that disguises her height, the clothes and makeup, all her peers are older... lol, she's a middle schooler singing about deep romances and hanging around 17 year olds.

Another said: 'Uh what? You’re telling me she’s 12-13yo in these photos and not at least 16?! I never knew who she was but I remember seeing her face and I never once considered she was that young.'

While a third opined: 'MTV marketed her as a young 20s Vegas cocktail waitress aesthetic. Awful for so many reasons, but definitely wasn’t sold as a teen vibe at the time.' 

As well as her image being sexualised, JoJo also faced another hurdle, with the pop icon locked in a years-long legal battle over control of her own music.

The label had control over JoJo's voice for the next seven years and refused to release new music while also trying to stop her attempts at any other work.

Revealing she wrote 'hundreds' of songs that never came out, she said: 'It felt like I was banging my head against a wall because I was like, is anyone ever going to hear this?'

In 2013, JoJo filed a lawsuit against her label company, alleging because she'd been a minor when she'd signed, she couldn't be bound to the contract for seven years.

But Blackground asked for the case to be dismissed and were planning to 'bleed her dry' until she gave up.

Blackground stopped functioning and was being sued from several different angles and JoJo became intent on setting herself free from their choke-hold.

JoJo revealed that her mother was worried that her plan to break free of their control would 'kill her' as she looked for other work in films.

The star would also release mixtapes which offered her a loophole to be able to tour.

During the bitter legal battle, the Too Little Too Late singer claimed she was being held hostage by the label because she was not allowed to leave or release new music commercially.

The feud led to her fans taking up a #FreeJoJo campaign on social media at the time.

Like many child stars, JoJo eventually descended into a downward spiral that saw her turn to alcohol and drugs to combat the years she spent feeling like she didn't belong.

Things only got worse when her booming career came to a screeching halt amid ongoing legal problems with her label.

She fought tirelessly to release her third album but the label kept delaying it, leaving her feeling once again like she wasn't good enough.

The star tried everything to impress the record's executives, even turning to pills to try to lose weight in the hopes that they would get behind her music again if she looked the part.

In 2014, after a multi-year battle against the label, she was finally released from her contract and she signed with Atlantic Records.

Almost immediately, she released a slew of singles and embarked on a tour, which was followed by the release of her third studio album Mad Love in October 2016.

Her fourth album, Good to Know, came out in 2020. It was followed by her fifth, Trying Not to Think About It, in 2021.

While the dark side of JoJo's career is still very much a talking point, staunch JoJo fans have much to celebrate these days as they marked the 20th anniversary of her song Too Little Too Late. 

In the comments on the star's Instagram post looking back at the music video, her followers couldn't believe it had been two decades since its release.

They shared: 'Holy s**t, its been that long already?!'; 'Not 20years!!'

'I can’t believe it’s been 20 years'; 'What do you mean 20th anniversary?! Omggggg.'

'20 years later and still blasting this at max volume only now it’s after dropping my kids off at daycare.'

'20 years ago?? crazy bc i was bumping this when i was -10.'

'20 years?! i used to blare this in my portable CD headphones while scream singing, i remember it like it was yesterday....'