JoJo has spoken out over the substance abuse issues she had in the past, saying she “needed to be buzzed to feel okay”.
In a new interview with Uproxx, the singer reflected on her early career, which saw her become the youngest solo artist to reach number one with the hit “Leave (Get Out)” when she was just 13.
JoJo revealed that after contractual issues with her record label prevented her from releasing a third album, she turned to drugs and alcohol as a way to feel “pretty” and “worthy”.
“There were definitely nights that I stumbled out of clubs and that I blacked out. I was just completely reckless, did not care,” she said.
“I needed to be buzzed to feel okay. I would go to the edge, stand on my tiptoes on the edge and then come back. I should be dead.”
The singer added: “My dad was an addict and I refused to end up like that. I did not want to do that. I would have ended up like my dad, just going to sleep one day and not waking up. Because life is hard, not coming from a cushy situation where I can run home to mommy and daddy and go home. Where is that for me?”
In the same interview, JoJo spoke about the extreme lengths she went to as a teenager to appease her former record label, including eating just 500 calories a day.
JoJo’s new album, Good to Know, will be released this spring.
If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: mind.org.uk, beateatingdisorders.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk, samaritans.org.
