This Jojo sounds like more than just another small fry

Jojo can’t drive and she can’t vote. But the 13-year-old whose debut single, “Leave (Get Out),” recently topped Billboard’s sales chart can belt out a tune with the emotion of a diva.

At first listen, “Leave” — with teenage love-themed lyrics and a video set in a high school, just like Britney Spears’ first song — makes it seem Jojo has been prepackaged for another pop idol path.

But Jojo (born Joanna Levesque) says the songs on her self-titled album, scheduled for release Tuesday, are for everybody.

“I talk about things that are real to teenagers, and to people in general,” she said by phone from her new home in Edgewater, N.J. “It reaches a broad audience and that’s important.”

As for teens, she says, “We go through things on a little smaller scale than adults, but still there’s drama — and that stuff with boys,” she said.

That’s part of the reason Jojo loathes the term “child prodigy” and protests the contention that “she doesn’t know what she’s singing about.”

But Jojo faces stiff competition in the competitive teen music market. Former teen star Deborah (formerly Debbie) Gibson said a young artist has to be wary of the flavor-of-the-day music industry.

“A record company will use you up, throw you out, and they’ll be on to the next, but it’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure there’s a whole sane human being left at the end of the day,” said Gibson, who signed her first record deal at the age of 16.

Gibson said if Jojo remains grounded, works hard and has the right people to support her, she will have a good chance for success.

If Jojo isn’t on guard, it’s clear her manager-mother, Diana Levesque, is.

“I’m protecting her because this business is so notorious for being sleazy,” Levesque said.

Perhaps that’s why she turned down the first three major deals that her daughter was offered before signing with Blackground/Universal.

And when it comes to such things as wardrobe, high heels and lyrics, “there’s definitely been issues … she’s my little girl,” Levesque said.

She has been protecting her only child for Jojo’s entire life.

While many children her age were hanging out at the mall on weekends, Jojo was often on free or reduced-lunch programs. Her mother earned a living cleaning houses and singing for churches, and the two shared a bed in their one-bedroom apartment in Foxboro.

“My friends would want to go to the movies and go to the malls, and most of the time, I couldn’t,” she said.

Jojo performed any small gig she could find, and her mother would save her hard-earned money to make sure the two could afford travel expenses.

Eventually, Jojo began to make the kids’ TV show circuit and got her break after an appearance on “America’s Most Talented Kids.” Now she’s preparing for a summer European tour with R&B superstar Usher.

“I was always so passionate about this,” Jojo said, adding that her mother did not always share the excitement. “I’m so glad she was like, ‘OK. I’ll do this if you really want to.’ And I really did.”

The birthday bunch

Actress Jane Russell is 83. Actress Maureen Stapleton is 79. Actor Bernie Kopell (“The Love Boat”) is 71. Actor Ron Ely (“Tarzan”) is 66. Comedian Joe Flaherty (“SCTV”) is 63. Musician Ray Davies (The Kinks) is 60. Actress Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”) is 57. Actor Michael Gross (“Family Ties”) is 57. Guitarist Nils Lofgren is 53. Country singer Kathy Mattea is 45. Actor Doug Savant (“Melrose Place”) is 40. Country singer Allison Moorer is 32. Actress Juliette Lewis is 31. Guitarist Mike Einziger (Incubus) is 28.