Joanna Noëlle Levesque was born in Foxborough, Massachusetts. She is of French (Levesque comes from French for Bishop and Noëlle means Christmas), Native American, Irish and Polish descent. JoJo currently resides in Edgewater, New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan, which is where she does her studio recording.

Growing up on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts, JoJo listened and learned as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing when she was two years old by imitating her mother, but quickly put her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. Her parents divorced when she was five years old.