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JoJo gets charmed by Nicole Kidman in 2001, before telling us to “Quit (Get Out)” in 2004 Moulin Rouge! More than two decades later, she is returning to Kidman’s role of Satin in her Broadway debut. “I’m the first red-headed Satin on Broadway,” 32 year old star Bustle tells, sitting in an empty Al Hirschfeld Theater in New York City. “I would love for Nicole to see her younger self floating around like a little leprechaun on stage in a red wig.”
JoJo first saw a jukebox musical in Los Angeles and hinted to a producer that she would love to play Satin, who sings hits from Beyoncé, Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities. A few months later, she moved across the country and stepped out in the sparkling diamond shoes. “It’s a beautiful glitz that people get to see, but there’s a lot of pressure that goes into making that diamond,” Jojo says. “I can feel that you have nothing to fall back on, and that you are completely responsible for yourself and others. She has been on the streets since the age of 13 and has been selling herself. And a In a sense, I’ve been working my way up these streets since I was 13 years old.
Platinum singer-songwriter shot to fame at age 13 thanks to “Leave (Get Out)” And “too little too late.” JoJo identifies with Satin in her final moments, as she declares, “You don’t own me,” looking back on her years-long battle to be free from her former record label. “I had tears in my eyes,” she recalls. “That’s what makes moments like this all the more sweet. In fighting for the rights to my own voice, as I did years ago, I relate very much to the concept that no one owns me.
JoJo says her Broadway adventure will likely influence her next album; When she is not performing, she is writing her memoir. “This is not a ghostwriter type situation,” she says. “I’m telling the stories I’ve had my whole life, and really putting it out there so I can move on and carve the next chapter, whatever I want.”
She thinks her teenage self would be proud of her. “13-year-old JoJo was so confident and had such a sense of self and belief in herself that she would say, ‘Yeah, it looks like it’s about the right time,'” she says. “She would have been really excited to be able to sing all these smashes on stage.”
Below, JoJo reveals the songs she’ll be featuring Moulin Rouge!The legends she broadcasts in her dressing room, and her true thoughts masked singer,
But masked singer and the songs she will be involved in Moulin Rouge!
Which has been your favorite song to perform so far?
I love doing “Crazy Rolling,” which is a mashup of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. It’s a really fun moment within the show… and then Katy Perry’s “Firework” is a real moment for Satin as she’s completely exposed. She is realizing that she is really sick and that there might be something going on with her that isn’t just a tickle in the throat. And the way it is performed in this show, it brings a whole new life to the lyrics of the song which I have never heard like this before. I have taken this as a personal mantra for myself.
If you had to add a song of your own to this musical, which song do you think would best fit the story?
one of my songs good to know album, “Pedialite,” Would work here because Christian gets really messed up on absinthe, and then deeply regrets it the next day. I love its lyrics [sings] “Life is an opportunity, party till the sun comes up again. When I wake up, who will be my savior? explain my behavior. Swear, I’ll never drink again. I think that might work.
If you had to choose another artist’s song to add, which would you choose?
I feel like Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” would really work on this show. The show is just a sensual pleasure and the hedonism of it… You look at the set and it’s like being inside a beating heart, like being inside your body. It’s just sex and romance and glamour. I think it would work really well.
Is there any music that you listen to as part of your pre-show ritual to get you pumped up?
I listen to my running playlist while I’m doing my makeup backstage, and it includes a bunch of dance songs that I haven’t heard before. One of my favorites is called “Pretty Girl Era” [by Lu Kala]… It’s fire and I just find it cute. I’m putting on my wig, I’m doing my makeup. I’m turning my red scars into beauty marks, and I’m in my Pretty Girl era.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” i even turned it on masked singer, That’s actually karaoke, just in a heavy-duty outfit.
Who would play JoJo and her dressing room “divas” in a musical?
What songs would you like to be played at your wedding and funeral?
It depends on who I’m marrying, what our song is. I’m going to fuck off and say “your song” [by Elton John] This show can do a lot of good work. I also love Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”. And then the funeral? “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
Who would you like to play in the musical of your life?
Oh my god. I don’t know if I know the person yet. Not that they don’t exist. I’m sure they absolutely do.
I was thinking you’d be honest.
Actually, there is. The answer is. This is me
Is there an instrument you want to play?
I wish I was really good at piano so I could accompany myself. Would also fire to be able to actually play the bass, as it sounds great. I just love being a funky bitch, [doing] Only nods deeply. And maybe just a one woman band. I want to play everything.
Who is your current music idol?
I’m listening to a lot of Barbra Streisand right now. Her vocal placement is exceptional in its range and the mastery of her voice. barbara and celine [Dion] I have supervisors now. I have pictures of my favorite diva maria in my dressing room [Carey]Whitney [Houston]Pictures of Celine, Barbara, and famous courtesans through the years.
Is there a song you never want to play live again?
Some of my fans really like to keep my unreleased songs alive, and I appreciate it very much. I have this song called “Limbo,” which is the hardest song I’ve ever recorded in my life, and when people ask me to sing it, I’m like, “I’m going to die if I try to put myself out there vocally. I tried to put it into my Leaks, Covers, and Mixtapes tour, and I thought, “I can’t do this live.” It’s not that I can’t sing, it’s Is that I stress myself to such an extent that I cannot do it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.