JoJo had a No. 1 hit at 13 — then her label left her unable to release music for years
Signed at 12 to a seven-album deal, JoJo had a No. 1 single at 13 — then spent years contractually trapped at Blackground Records, which she said failed to release her music while she couldn't record elsewhere. She sued in 2013 and was finally freed under a law protecting minors from contracts over seven years.
Established by court ruling, regulator action, admission, or undisputed public record.
What happened
JoJo (Joanna Levesque) signed with Blackground Records at 12 years old, on a seven-album deal. At 13, she became the youngest solo artist to top the Hot 100, with "Leave (Get Out)." A second album followed in 2006 — and then her recording career stalled, not for lack of music but because of the contract.
By her account and her 2013 lawsuit, Blackground failed to properly release her music for years. She was still contractually obligated to record — reportedly cutting hundreds of songs — but couldn't put out an album and couldn't sign elsewhere. A young artist at her commercial peak was effectively frozen by the deal she'd signed as a child.
The lawsuit and the law that freed her
In July 2013, JoJo sued Blackground and its imprint Da Family in New York State Supreme Court over the label's failure to release her third album. She invoked a New York law that bars contracts with minors from running longer than seven years — meaning, she argued, the deal should have ended in 2011.
Around the end of 2013, she was released from the contract. She signed with Atlantic and finally released her third album, Mad Love, in 2016 — roughly a decade after her last.
Why it's on file
JoJo's case shows a distinct flavor of harm: not a label taking too much of the money, but a label sitting on an artist's career while the contract ran. The music a young star never got to release in her prime is a cost that doesn't show up on any royalty statement.
Primary sources
- [1]JoJo Sues Her Label, Blackground Records — The FADER (2013-07-31)
- [2]JoJo Sues Record Label After Years of Disputes — Billboard (2013-07-31)
- [3]JoJo Is Officially Free From Her Former Label After A 7-Year Battle — BuzzFeed