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JoJo Reveals How Masked Singer Helped Get Her "Mojo Back" After Developing Severe Stage Fright

After JoJo was named runner-up on The Masked Singer's season 5 finale, the star tells E! News exclusively that the show helped get her "mojo back" after a recent bout of stage fright.

By Amanda Williams, Ryan Gajewski May 27, 2021 2:55 AMTags
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JoJo is realizing there's no such thing as too little, too late when it comes to figuring out what's important in life. 

The 30-year-old "Too Little Too Late" vocalist was revealed as The Masked Singer's season 5 runner-up in the finale that aired on Wednesday, May 26. During an exclusive interview with E! News, the personality behind the Black Swan explained how doing the show actually helped her get back to feeling more like herself. 

"[It's] the wackiest thing I've ever done, and it forced me to not take myself so seriously because it's very easy to get wrapped up in your own world and your own perception of your career—how you think things are supposed to go," JoJo said candidly. "I was just in a season of saying yes to things that scared me if I knew that they would probably be good for me. And this was one of those things."

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The Aquamarine actress continued, "I don't think it compares to anything I've ever done. But if anything, it connected me to that little girl inside me that just loves music more than anything—that pure joy when I sing. And it reminded me of that, above all else. It helped me get my mojo back."

Following the finale, during which viewers saw Nick Lachey—a.k.a. Piglet—crowned the champion, JoJo wrote on Instagram that after canceling her 2020 tour due to the coronavirus pandemic, she had been "confused about life, & wondered if I was good at singing/performing anymore."

In her post, she added, "Somewhere over the last few yrs I developed stage fright that has impacted me mentally & physically & sometimes makes it feel like I'm choking. I knew I had to do something about this feeling, & I wanted to stop taking myself so seriously. I figured donning a 15 lb bedazzled swan costume + headpiece while anonymously singing my heart out might be a good way to do that." 

During her chat with E! News, JoJo discussed her new single, "Creature of Habit," along with her hopes of working on a full-length album and then getting back to touring. 

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"I'm back in a mode of feeling really creative," she enthused. "And I truly don't know if I would have gotten to this place if it weren't for my experience on the show because it really did help me find that confidence again, to try and step out into trusting myself again."

The Masked Singer season 5 finale airs Wednesday, May 26 at 8 p.m. on Fox.