“They can make money, I don’t give a fuck. I just want to put out music.”

It is difficult to overstate how much JoJo has wanted to pursue her career in music. Despite having a meteoric rise at an early age in 2004, trouble with her label after a successful second album placed her in a frustrating limbo for almost a decade. Imprisoned behind the words of a exhaustive seven-album contract deal signed when she was a minor, JoJo was still persistent in creating and delivering content only for it to be ignored, constantly falling on abject indifference from her label.

After finally procuring emancipation from Blackground Records in a rather messy series of legal events, one condition of her release stated that the company would own all the master copies of any music produced under her tenure. Rather calculated, the move reflected the label’s warped mentality in their treatment of JoJo. After failing to properly invest in the singer, they wanted to make sure that what success she had brought them would remain captive.

Battling through this wave of discord, JoJo released her long-awaited third album, Mad Love, through Atlantic Records in October 2016. Charting at #6 on the Billboard 200, the LP received acclaim and was even named one of Rolling Stone’s best pop albums of the year. Almost impossibly, she was back. Perhaps not to the same record-destroying level that saw her become a global star in 2004, but she was unquestionably a relevant artist once again with the ability to fulfil an immense talent that had almost been stifled.

In a situation that has seen the demise of so many other popstars, it was her fans that got JoJo through this onerous time, and she is quick to credit them. “I’m most proud of my relationship with my fans”, she says, noting that even after such a long absence, to still have a loyal following is touching. Buoyed by their enthusiasm, JoJo found the means to return, breaking through the miasma and stagnation in order to deliver an album that had been anticipated for ten years.

A popstar’s relationship with their fans is a rather sacred thing. Given the symbiotic bond that exists, how an artist interacts with them can significantly influence a career. Offer too much and you risk over-saturation, offer too little and you can be a veritable flash in the pan. There is a balance in how JoJo has forged her rapport; she doesn’t take for granted the life that her fans have afforded her, even through the uncertain times.

This year saw the singer do something rather unprecedented to show her gratitude while simultaneously stamping some authority on her career. On December 21, a day after her 28th birthday, JoJo released re-recordings of her first two albums- JoJo and The High Road. After vanishing from streaming services following the legal battle with her label, JoJo sought to create some agency and effectively stick two fingers up at the people who tried to extinguish her music.

While some singers do their best to distance themselves from their overplayed hits, JoJo embraces how important these tracks are. They are her initial lifeblood as an artist, but she had to say goodbye to them in order to gain her freedom. Reclaiming them in this creative and proactive manner was the perfect panacea to a toxic situation.

Now thankfully in a much stronger position, free from the shackles of a uncooperative record label, her re-working of these albums is like a love letter to the fans, thanking them for their dedication. The songs sound as good, if not better, than before, maturing as she has done herself, but what’s most important though, is that they finally belong to their rightful owner.

I was lucky enough to see JoJo perform on the first night of the Mad Love Tour in Dublin 2017. Playing to a small crowd of about 650 people in The Academy, she sauntered around the stage, absorbing the energy of her audience and giving it back tenfold. The catharsis was palpable. Getting to promote her album and perform to the fans as they sang back lyrics old and new — this was the prize.

It was an emotional night and it definitely took its toll on JoJo. She was excited, she was happy, she shed tears, but most of all, she looked at home. It’s a tricky business navigating the treacherous waters of this industry and even with the added obstacles, JoJo has emerged the victor in all this. Salvaging a scarred past while simultaneously moving forward with her career, JoJo is a rare breed of popstar who is determined to not let adversity define the mark she wants to make.