JoJo Kicks Off New Grey Goose And Grammy Series, ‘Monday Mix’

Gray Goose and the Grammys have teamed up for a brand new three-part sequence, “Monday Combine,” main as much as the awards April 3 in Las Vegas. The sequence kicks off immediately, March 14, with JoJo, and continues the subsequent two Mondays with Fortunate Daye and Tinashe.

Within the 12-minute video, premiering right here, the pop star singer/songwriter begins the present with a soulful, stripped-down efficiency of “Assume About You.” Following the efficiency she sits down with host Regulation Roach, the Grammys’ “Type Associate.”

Over the course of their dialog JoJo talks about her new EP, Attempting Not To Assume About It, type and extra. Earlier than the premiere immediately I spoke with JoJo, whereas she was in Austin for South By Southwest about her Gray Goose drinks of selection, her present Frank Sinatra fandom and why she is having fun with music now greater than ever.

Steve Baltin: The place are you enjoying tonight?

JoJo: The present is in Austin, Texas tonight. So we simply rolled on this morning. Town is lit up, they’re so excited to have South By again. I am within the mixture of all of it. It feels good, the vitality is nice.

Baltin: Are you a South By veteran?

JoJo: I’ve performed earlier than. I adore it, it is one among my favourite festivals.

Baltin: It does really feel like we went from zero to 60 in like two seconds.

JoJo: That is precisely proper. There undoubtedly was a time two years in the past the place I questioned if we might ever have the ability to play reside exhibits once more.

Baltin: The place did you fall on the Rorschach Take a look at of lacking enjoying exhibits?

JoJo: What an effective way of placing it, such a visible analogy of the way it felt. However touring has been such an enormous a part of my grownup life. Sure, my teenage life and profession, nevertheless it’s actually what’s stored me alive and stored me going and allowed me to construct relationship and group with my followers. So to not have the ability to have that connection and carry out these songs reside and get that suggestions, it actually had me questioning so much about myself. Simply not being within the apply of doing it I am like, “Can I even do that anymore?” I ponder if some other artists have echoed that very same sentiment trigger if you have not performed one thing in a few years it is like getting again within the saddle.

Baltin: Sure, plenty of artists echoed that and in addition felt like they needed to tour now in new methods.

JoJo: Equally to that, as many stamps I’ve in my passport I can not say that I actually acquired the possibility to discover all that many locations so far as actually breaking out and spending time. So on the finish of my European dates I hope to have the ability to spend a little bit time in Italy or France or Sweden and god prepared, we’ll see how that goes.

Baltin: What’s the one place you’d wish to camp out the longest?

JoJo: I actually love Eire, I really like Scotland, so I might like to spend a little bit bit extra time there.

Baltin: These locations do have a wealthy historical past of having fun with their libations, in order that leads properly right into a partnership with Gray Goose.

JoJo: Hear, I am a fan of celebration. I have not at all times been the very best at celebrating myself, however the older I get and the extra perspective I’ve on how wonderful it’s to get to reside this life the extra I am like, “Once we acquired out, we’re celebrating, we’re doing it proper.” Once I was in my school age I used to drink something and I am so not that woman now. On the subject of like an excellent spirit it is vital. That is why this partnership with Gray Goose felt like a brilliant simple, no brainer to me. Now we have decisions and I would like to be ok with what it’s I am ingesting.

Baltin: What’s the celebration tune?

JoJo: The primary one which involves thoughts is Rihanna’s “Cheers (Drink To That).” That is in all probability the primary one which involves thoughts, it offers me like that Irish pub vibe. However on an aesthetic tip “The Greatest Is But To Come,” Frank Sinatra. If I am sipping a martini that is the vibe. So I have been in my Sinatra bag currently I need to say.

Baltin: What’s the final Gray Goose drink? And is there like a JoJo Gray Goose drink?

JoJo: Ooh, I really like this. So everyone has their tackle a Martini, however I like mine basic and powerful. It is fairly filthy. Some prefer it with a twist with lemon, I undoubtedly like mine with olives. And if I am feeling significantly like I wish to actually exit and rejoice, I attempt to not do any berry or cheese, however I do love a bleu cheese-stuffed olive. So I might have a brilliant filthy Gray Goose martini. Olive brine, vermouth, chilled, shaken and, to me, a very nice glass is vital as properly. I like to have the right glass for no matter sort of drink it’s, whether or not it is a martini or no matter sort of drink I am having. So filthy, chilled they usually need to be recent olives.

Baltin: So that’s the companion drink to listening to Sinatra?

JoJo: Precisely, you may image it as I do. I simply to like consider the Rat Pack getting collectively and being impossibly fly.

Baltin: Who could be your dream Grammy duet?

JoJo: What I really like concerning the Grammys is how they carry all genres collectively and the way I find yourself studying about completely different albums or completely different acts that I wasn’t aware of till I became the present. So I might like to do a collaboration throughout genres, one that’s not in pop or R&B. I might like to duet with any person like Chris Stapleton or Jimmie Allen or Mickey Guyton, somebody who’s within the nation world. And even folks extra within the rock house. I believe what is going on on in rock and different is de facto cool. I simply love enjoying and singing and having enjoyable. So I would like to step as much as any sort of expertise and canopy any tune or duet with anybody.

Baltin: You talked about getting older. Are you having fun with issues extra as you become old and you are able to do issues like this partnership only for enjoyable?

JoJo: 100%. I’ve a perspective on what it means to reside this life that I could not have had once I first began out in my profession. And I perceive the stability between work and play and between work and private. All of it issues — the exhausting work, the self-discipline and the celebration. The planning and being extra on the fly. That solely comes with age I believe and making plenty of decisions after which determining what works for you. So I am having extra enjoyable than I ever had. And I believe that is as a result of I perceive how something may be taken away. Nothing is promised. We’re not owed something. We’re so fortunate to have the ability to reside a musical, artistic lifetime of journey and expression and hanging out with people who find themselves making cool issues and carving their very own paths.

Baltin: Are there folks that you just look to otherwise you’ve grow to be associates with that you just admire for the way in which they’ve gone by way of the ups and downs of fame?

JoJo: Yeah, there are lots of people that we have sort of grown up collectively on this business. And we’re in a position to take a look at one another both from a distance or shut up at varied occasions. I consider my pal Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, Demi Lovato, Alessia Cara and it is simply fantastic to run into them or to speak with them and know that we have had some shared experiences of beginning so younger, having the longevity that we have had and rising up and figuring ourselves out on this expertise. And it undoubtedly is exclusive, however none of us are alone in it. We have all had one thing that we are able to bond over. And so far as musically I simply assume now’s the absolute best time to be your self. I believe there are manner much less guidelines and manner much less restrictions and confinement and I believe the facility is getting again within the arms of the artists, which is a very thrilling factor. I simply wish to proceed to be part of that. I believe possession is an enormous factor, I prefer to see folks taking issues into their very own arms. I believe it’s a nice time to be a girl in music and an individual in music on the whole.