JoJo Warms Up In “Five Minutes To The Stage”: Idolator Premiere

Bradley Stern | June 20, 2014 8:00 am

This year is all about the grand return of Queen JoJo.

2014 kicked off to an incredible start for the young diva when she — at long last! — got to say Leave (Get Out) to her previous label and sign with Atlantic Records. Almost immediately, she set to work on that long, long, long awaited follow-up to 2006’s The High Road. (Most recently, was spotted hanging in the studio with the legendary Diane Warren.)

In the meantime, JoJo’s been creating her own buzz: In February, she supplied us with the smooth stylings of the free #LoveJo EP just in time for Valentine’s Day, headed down to perform at SXSW (one of our most anticipated acts, deservedly so) and, most recently, hit the stage at L.A.’s first-ever Broccoli Music Festival in May — and we’ve got a glimpse of what went down seconds before her show.

Five Minutes to the Stage is a backstage series that allows fans to get a fly-on-the-wall look at their favorite artist’s process behind-the-scenes, just moments before hitting the stage. Want to see how JoJo handles those pre-show jitters? Watch her warm up in the episode below.

The episode captures the incredibly talented songbird flawlessly running through the scales, getting her last-minute glam in order and working out her nervous energy with a little singing and dancing. While she warms up, Jo talks about what’s changed since her last major label effort at age 13 (hint: “mind, check/Body, check/My sensuality, check“) and the synergy she has with her band. “It’s rare to find that type of understanding where you can finish each other’s musical sentences,” she says of her guitarist, JinJoo.

And despite that unstoppable confidence onstage, JoJo reveals that she’s all butterflies before the stage: “I get hella nervous — I get wicked nervous,” she giggles at one point in true true Massachusetts girl fashion. But with the help of her talented friends and strength from spirituality, she’s got it covered.

Are you excited for the return of JoJo? Sound off in the comments below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.

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