Over the Influence

Over the Influence is a memoir by American singer Joanna "JoJo" Levesque. It was published on 17 September 2024, by Hachette Book Group in the United States and Pan Macmillan in the UK and Australia. JoJo narrates the audiobook. Over the Influence became a The [New York Times Best Seller list|New York Times best-seller] in October 2024.

Background and release

On March 7, 2024, JoJo announced in an interview with People at the Billboard Women in Music event plans to release her first memoir. She stated she had been working on the book for 2 years.
On June 4, 2024, JoJo announced the release date and title of her memoir Over the Influence. She aimed to release the memoir to coincide with the 20th anniversary of her debut album. JoJo stated she had written the memoir herself, without a ghostwriter.
The book contains 352 pages comprising 21 chapters. The audiobook version, narrated by JoJo herself, was released alongside the US edition of the book.
JoJo did an exclusive interview with People to promote her book, providing exclusive excerpts.

Synopsis

JoJo traces the arc of her tumultuous life in her debut memoir. The title "Over the Influence" relates to themes that weave the story together, including her parents' struggles with addiction, her relationship with the music industry, and her own experiences of depression and self-destructive behaviours.

Reception

Critical

Over the Influence received praise from Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and Publishers Weekly. Barnes & Nobel named the memoir as one of their "Best Entertainment Memoirs of 2024". Newsweek called it "Raw and unfiltered... deeply personal perspective on how she learned to reclaim her power, both as an artist and a woman...".

Commercial

Over the Influence debuted at number twelve on the New York Times Bestseller list. It also debuted at number sixteen on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List selling 6,883 units in its first week.