JoJo Explains Why Anxiety No Longer Holds 'Authority' over Her: 'I Have More Tools in My Belt' (Exclusive)

The R&B-pop star spoke to PEOPLE about mental health, new music and her upcoming memoir at Billboard Women in Music 2024 on Wednesday

Life may have its ups and downs, but JoJo is ready to take them all in stride.

After writing through mental health struggles for her latest project, 2021's Trying Not to Think About It, the R&B-pop singer opened up to PEOPLE about how she's learned to manage her anxiety at Billboard Women in Music 2024 in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

"I was in this blue space. It was like my version of singing the blues, you know? Depression and anxiety and not being able to get out of your mind," JoJo, 33, tells PEOPLE of the 2021 body of work. "I knew, though, that I wasn't the only person feeling that way."

Related: JoJo Talks New Music at American Music Awards: 'If You're a Depressed Millennial, It'll Resonate'

Trying Not to Think About It found the "Too Little Too Late" performer musing on a difficult period of feeling mentally stuck, frustrated and generally low through songs like "Feel Alright," "Spiral SZN" and "Worst (I Assume)."

"I was hoping that by sharing that I could feel less alone and that other people would feel less alone," reflects JoJo. "I think that's what we're tasked to do as artists, as human beings, to be honest and connect."

Since releasing the project, she's continuously worked on her relationship with mental health. "I have more tools in my belt than I did before. That being said, sometimes life is gonna life on your ass," says the "Leave (Get Out)" musician. "But that being said, it doesn't have authority over my life."

Related: JoJo Says She's Exiting Her 'Comfort Zone' in Broadway Debut as Satine in 'Moulin Rouge!' (Exclusive)

"Sometimes I've just got to ride the waves and accept that different days will feel different ways," continues JoJo, who plans to release new material sometime this year. "I'm excited for the music that I put out next to not be from that blue place [and come] from a place of more celebration and dreaming of what the future is."

Last year, ahead of her Broadway debut as Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, JoJo told PEOPLE she was in the process of writing a memoir about her life — and she's still in the thick of putting its pages together now.

"I've been working on it for two years, and that's what I'm most excited about," she explained of the book, before teasing the sound of her upcoming music: "More energy. I wanted something I could put on, go jogging to, bop around in the car and also do, like, high knees and stuff."

At the Billboard Women in Music event, JoJo presented Victoria Monét with the rising star award. The full ceremony will stream live via the publication's website on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Read the original article on People.