JoJo, or Joanna Noelle Levesque, is one of the most gifted and well-liked young pop stars of the 2000s. When she was only 13 years old, singer JoJo launched her self-titled debut album to tremendous acclaim, catapulting her to instant stardom.
Her singles "Leave (Get Out)" and "Too Little, Too Late" served as a generation of women's go-tos for getting over a significant other. On the surface, she had it all. However, little do people know that, at one point, she was offered a casting position that would have changed the entire trajectory of her career.
Jojo was offered the role of Miley Stuart in Disney's Hannah Montana. By declining, she risked missing out on a potentially life-changing professional breakthrough. Was it worth it?
Miley Cyrus Was Not Disney’s First Choice For The Role Of Hannah Montana
When Miley Cyrus, then just eleven years old, auditioned for the role of Hannah Montana, the show's producers rejected her as being too "young and small" for the role. That’s right, Cyrus was certainly not the first choice for the show and had immense competition for the role.
Pop singer JoJo was originally cast as the lead by Disney Channel. She, however, declined the role. Cyrus was cast as Hannah Montana's star when the show's producers decided she was an appropriate age, many years after JoJo had turned down the role.
The premiere of Hannah Montana in March 2006 attracted the channel's greatest audience to that point.
The show not only attracted millions of people all over the world but also spawned a successful movie, a line of goods, and a world tour. Cyrus's rapid rise to fame was aided by the success of Hannah Montana.
Is Jojo sorry she made this choice now, in light of the show's tremendous success?
Does JoJo Regret Her Decision To Turn Down Hannah Montana?
Given that Cyrus was cast as Hannah Montana, many have wondered if JoJo had any regrets about passing up the part.
The singer thought about playing the lead role, but ultimately decided she didn't want to play a high school student who moonlights as a pop star.
JoJo responded, "No regrets," when asked if she regretted passing up the role that made Miley Cyrus, then 15 years old, a household celebrity. “No regrets at all. Yeah, Disney offered me the role, but it's not really what I see for myself.”
JoJo stated that she also declined the part because she did not want to relocate to Los Angeles, where the program was taped.
She explained to Extra, “I still live in New England. I'm an east coast girl until I die, and I still live with my mum.”
Hannah Montana Absolutely Launched Miley Cyrus’s Career To Stardom
Cyrus wasn't exactly a household name before she became Hannah Montana. Before landing the part of Miley Stewart in Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus was largely unknown despite having the singer of "Achy Breaky Heart,” father Billy Ray Cyrus.
Cyrus's stardom surged while she portrayed the imaginary pop princess, and she eventually became one of the biggest stars in the world.
After the cancellation of Hannah Montana in 2011, Cyrus kept working in the entertainment industry. She co-starred with Demi Moore in the 2012 teen drama-comedy LOL. In the teen comedy So Undercover the next year, she played private investigator Molly Morris/Brooke Stonebridge.
It was at this time that Cyrus began to shed her stereotypical pop star persona and establish herself as a genuine musical talent. As a result, she was able to reveal a previously unseen side of herself in her 2013 album Bangerz.
Since then, Cyrus has followed no particular guidelines when it comes to her public persona or musical output. She rose to fame as a child actress and is now frequently used as an example of a successful musical career transition.
And to think, maybe Cyrus wouldn't be the ultra-famous recording artist she is today if JoJo hadn't turned down the role of Hannah Montana. Though she boasts a net worth of $7 million, could this number have been much higher had she took the chance? We may never know, but she has her reasons.
Jojo Lost Money After Putting Her Singing Career On Hold
As she was on her track to stardom, JoJo kept on delivering albums to her company, but her hundreds of unpublished tracks were never used.
Despite the fact that her record company had shut down and lost distribution, they were still holding her to her contract. JoJo's entire career was placed on hold because, as a minor, she had signed away the rights to her own voice.
She said in an interview with Salon Talks, “I actually didn't know that they owned my voice because I certainly wasn't reviewing my contract at 12 years old. I allowed the legal professionals that were in my life to do that. I come from, as you said, a very humble beginning, and this was a great opportunity for me and for most people.”
JoJo left the case after years of litigation without reaching a settlement. Of course, her true followers are aware that she never departed. JoJo was not authorized to make money from her voice recordings, but she did find a way around this restriction: she could share recordings of new music without charging for them.
JoJo didn't care about the money, but she did care about reuniting with her fans through music. The hashtag #FreeJoJo was widely used by her supporters and admirers throughout the globe.
Her lawyer finally won her case when he discovered a New York statute that stated a minor could not be held in a personal service contract for longer than seven years. Eventually, Blackground Records reached a settlement, and JoJo was permitted to resume releasing music.
After an extended hiatus, JoJo returned to the music scene in 2016 with the album "Mad Love." Like Taylor Swift, she re-recorded some of her older songs to reclaim ownership of them.
"Joanna" is a song from the album. This song demonstrates not just her vocal prowess but also her ability to express the depth of her inner turmoil.
Moving ahead, JoJo now has a much more positive support network and has won her first Grammy in 2020. Jojo may have had a more successful career as Hannah Montana, but she decided to follow her truth and embark on her own road of self-discovery instead.
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