At 24 years old, Joanna Noelle Blagden Levesque, better known as her stage name, JoJo, has already been a presence in the music industry for over 10 years. Her debut single, “Leave (Get Out),” was released when she was only 13 and its huge success made JoJo the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single on the Billboard pop charts. After her second commercial release in the past nine years—an EP entitled “III” that contains three singles (affectionately called a “tringle”)—JoJo is on tour. She performed on a rainy Tuesday night at St. Louis’ own Old Rock House to an audience of older, dedicated fans.

Jessie Colston | Student Life

JoJo waves to the crowd during her performance at the Old Rock House in Soulard on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The small venue facilitated an intimate show experience, with JoJo sharing personal stories and interacting with the crowd between each song.

JoJo’s set list did not hold the audience hostage in anticipation for her older, more popular songs, like many artists are inclined to do after new releases. You know the drill—an artist is known to the public for a song or two, and she waits until the encore to play the hits as a grand finale. Instead, JoJo weaved a narrative out of her entire catalog, allowing the audience to understand how she got to where she is in her career today. It would be tempting to want to abandon songs that were written when you were a pre-teen (Miley Cyrus doesn’t perform Hannah Montana songs for a reason), but JoJo humbly acknowledges the importance of these works to her fans, as well as to herself.

The influence of hip-hop and R&B on JoJo’s work is apparent in her choice of covers to perform. (She took on “Planes” by Jeremih and “Marvin’s Room” by Drake.) This influence doesn’t shine through as much on the songs from her “tringle,” which are pretty typical pop songs meant to show off JoJo’s impressive, soaring vocals. Live, she does just that, although it wasn’t always easy to hear her over the crowd. JoJo’s fans are obviously very important to her, and she made an effort to communicate with the audience through intimate and personal stage banter.

She confessed stories of an ex-boyfriend who wanted to continue hooking up after their breakup and commented that she’s “too emo for that.” She spoke of the difficulty of fighting addiction, as she’s witnessed firsthand within her family, and the impact of her father’s recent death on her life. At one point, she asked an audience member if her lipstick had smudged.

In addition to her humility, JoJo’s sensuality was important to her stage presence as well, but thankfully not in the exaggerated manner of stadium-level pop singers. Her dancing, hip-thrusting and hand motions were subtle, but undeniably impactful. She was truly feeling herself, and the audience was feeling her, too. Overall, the mood of JoJo’s performance could be described simply as “open”: candid with her conversation, honest in her emotion and eager to relate and share. In addition to her exceptional vocals and lively backing band, this transparency was essential to her show. It’s what made her act unique.

If you’re thinking of picking up a track from “III,” I’d recommend “Save My Soul,” but I’m a sucker for a sad song. Then again, my favorite work of JoJo’s will always be the 2006 film “Aquamarine.”