"Joanna" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter JoJo, released on October 11, 2019 by

Clover Music Joanna Noëlle Levesque (born December 20, 1990), known professionally as JoJo, is an American singer and actress. She began performing in singing competitions and local talent shows as a child. In 2003, record producer Vincent Herbert notic ...

and

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. The song marks her first original release since the creation of

and the singer signing to

Background

Following the release of her third studio album '' Mad Love'', JoJo announced the creation of her

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

, in a joint deal with Interscope. It later moved to

. "Joanna" is the singer's first original release under the label. On December 21, 2018 JoJo's first two studio albums were re-released with re-recorded vocals and slightly reworked production in order to coincide with the singer's 28th birthday. The albums were re-recorded due to

Blackground Records Blackground Records 2.0 (legal name Blackground Records, LLC, formerly known as Blackground Records) is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name t ...

' removing of both of the records from all music platforms following the singer's disputes with the label. Work on the singer's fourth studio album began shortly after the re-releases. "Joanna" was announced the day prior to its release.

Composition

"Joanna" was written by JoJo, Natalie Dunn, Rebekah Muhammad, and

Jeff Gitelman Jeff "Gitty" Gitelman (born February 5, 1982) is a Grammy-nominated record producer, musician and songwriter from Chișinău, Moldova. He is known for his work with the band The Stepkids, which formed in 2010. He is also known for his compositio ...

, the latter of whom produced the track. Musically, "Joanna" has been described as a freestyle and R&B ballad with "raw" and "stripped-down" instrumentation led by a "bluesy" guitar riff. The musical arrangement of the song was compared to the songs found on the singer's previous mixtapes. The lyrical content of "Joanna" centers around the comments of haters, music critics, and fans. Singing in the third person, singer mocks the opinions of others in the lyrics "Where did your acting career go? / You were supposed to be somebody / You were supposed to make more money". "Joanna" has also been interpreted as a response to

cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...

Critical reception

Madeline Roth, writing for ''

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

'', called the single a "clever, confident response to

". Allison Stubblebine of ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'' wrote the song "addresses all the negativity that has been thrown oJo'sway regarding her career". Mike Wass, writing for ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' referred to the song as a "hard-hitting track" and a "tantalizing first glimpse of the '

When Love Hurts "When Love Hurts" is a song recorded by American recording artist JoJo that was intended for her third studio album, '' Mad Love'' (2016), (though didn't actually end up on it) and is included on her "tringle" (''tri''ple si''ngle'') extended play ...

' hitmaker’s new era". Clare Palo of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' referred to the lyrics as "so raw that it seemed almost necessary to start out with a brutally honest take for her never '

Too Little, Too Late "Too Little Too Late" is a song by American singer JoJo from her second studio album, '' The High Road'' (2006). It was written by Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander and Ruth-Anne Cunningham, and produced by the former two with Da Family Records fou ...

' comeback".

Music video

A music video was released alongside the single. The video, directed by Se Oh, features hoards of fans rushing past the singer towards an unknown celebrity's car in front of a theater. The singer winks at the camera during the video's conclusion to indicate the release of new music.

Personnel

Adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * JoJo – vocals, composition *

– composition, production *Natalie Dunn – composition *Rebekah Muhammad – composition *

Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...

– mixing *Miles Comaskey – mix engineering *Dale Becker – mastering *Hector Vega – mastering *Ryann Fretschel – mastering

Charts

References

{{authority control 2019 songs JoJo (singer) songs Clover Music singles Songs written by JoJo (singer) Songs written by Jeff Gitelman Songs written by Nat Dunn