Random but it had to be written. UPROXX recently uploaded a short documentary on JoJo and it resonated so well with what I saw in her chart, rated AA.
At 13, JoJo experienced massive success (2nd house profection year, hers ruled by expansive Jupiter, which trines her MC--more on that later), but was subsequently held hostage by a greedy (and now defunct) music label. As a result, she couldn't release music for more than a decade.
JoJo is an Aquarius Rising, and her Saturn is at 24 degrees of Capricorn, placing it in the 12th. When the ruling planet of the ASC is averse or "hidden" from the ASC, a theme of "delay" can prevail, as the steersman of your ship cannot see where it is going. Very frustrating. In JoJo's case, it is further compounded by the fact that her ASC ruler is the planet of delay and restriction. And that is further compounded by the fact that its a 12th house placement of loss. Whew!
In the midst of recording additional songs, her label dissolved (12th), yet she was still bound (Saturn) by the terms in her contract. She continued to record music but was not allowed to release any of it. We need to note that JoJo has a massive 12th house Capricorn stellium--Mercury RX, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and NN. That she was forced into relative obscurity reinforces 12th house themes of things hidden, things ending, doing things in secret. Music studios are also the 12th house--forced creative isolation. She remarked in the documentary that she would constantly read articles that proclaimed she must have died. She recalled how frustrating it was to see musicians who started after her start to pass and out-pace her. (Personally, this is such a huge Saturn struggle. It is the bane of my existence. Anyway....)
JoJo has Neptune and Venus closely conjunct in the 12th. In the documentary, she was gaslit into taking medication to make her thinner, under the guise that her label just wanted her to be "healthy". The fogginess of Neptune playing out next to her creative planet, Venus, is also indicative of being sold a bill of goods that never comes to be. In the beginning, she was very glamourized by Hollywood, private jets, opening for Usher, etc.--but when the fog settled, she was completely and utterly screwed by signing that contract: Mercury RX in the 12th. RX Mercury begs of you to dive into the details, to double check, to be sure, transit or natal. And music contracts are complicated and obtuse already. Placed in the 12th, she became a victim of her own pen. (Not blaming her, by the way.)
What ensued were years of substance abuse, another 12th house theme, especially with Venus ad Neptune co present. Unable to release or perform music, JoJo became "a shell of herself" and had to be "buzzed" in order to function. Only the realization that her dad was an addict (who died of his addiction it seemed--went to sleep and never woke up) snapped her back into reality, and she begun to take control. She hired a lawyer and became embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with her former label. Her Venus, in the 12th and conj. Neptune, rules her 9th house Libra of contracts, law, legal endeavors. So she was in for an uphill battle. But she has Mars square her ASC, which, yes, can render one a victim to martial energies from others (her label), but also energizes you for battle as a result. In Taurus, it also meant/means she has to fight for her art.
In the meantime, she decided to release free mixtapes. A Saturn theme is stripping down to bare essentials. Ideally wanting to release music for profit, she had to settle for releasing music for free, and self-funding a lot of her creative endeavors. Though not firmly in her Saturn Return when she released these mixtapes, Saturn themes prevail for as it is her final dispositor.
Anyway, the story gets happier. In 2014, she was freed from her contract. It was a 12th house profection year, and during Capricorn season. So matters of the 12th house were doubly activated. And Saturn lurked still behind it all. Mars trine Saturn natives also never give up no matter how steep the odds are stacked. Go JoJo!
"Just imagine how the free bird will sing after being caged for so long," wrote one reporter. Holy 12th house! Only now, instead of entering a prison, she was leaving it. And thus began a new cycle for her, as she entered a 1st house year soon after. She signed to Atlantic Records.
Despite being away for almost a decade, JoJo still had very loyal fans. During her legal battles "#FreeJoJo" was used on social media as a means of support for the singer, and many media outlets and blogs publicized her struggle. Fans and celebrities alike stood in solidarity. And when she was finally able to tour and release music again--she sold out shows, was streamed/downloaded tens of millions of times, soared to #1 on iTunes, and recouped all her expenses. Why? Sun and MC in the 11th house in Sag, ruled and trined by benefic Jupiter in Leo in her 7th. The 11th house describes the nature of our fans and friends. Though a "victim" of her business relationships early on, Jupiter in the 7th and ruling the 11th ensured JoJo would always have support from others. It also ensured that her public image, career, and reputation would always remain afloat and gifted positivity and expansion. The Sun and Jupiter also have mutual reception, each in the sign that the other rules. That's a wonderful tag-team to have by yourself to mediate the 12th house loss. Jupiter and Sun inflate you up again---and again and again. Jupiter also rules her second house so: money.
As her Saturn Return started, JoJo re-recorded and re-released her first albums, as her former label removed all of her music from the Internet. Having to go back and re-do everything, and with precision and perfection, (Mercury RX) is Saturnian, but JoJo found it extremely cathartic. She also changed some of the lyrics to reflect that she was in her late 20s now, and not an adolescent. Saturn as ruler of time and maturity.
As her Saturn Return became exact in early 2020, JoJo won her first GRAMMY for a comeback single released in 2019. She went on to be nominated for several other awards, and is slated for bigger things in the future. She announced a new album and tour for Spring 2020.
Whew, won't Saturn do it y'all! After he hits you with 2 by 4 after 2 by 4.
I hope this is reflection for people with heavy 12th house, and retrogrades, and heavy Saturn. Or people just curious/afraid of the Saturn Return. Mine is exact today so I found JoJo's story extremely resonate and because I'm also a trapped musician with Saturn in aversion to the ASC. Yes, shit does end up sucking hard---but never forever. And usually for the better. Saturn came back around for JoJo and as a result, all the planets in the 12th were loosened up to express more freely, retribution was delivered, debts were paid and money was flowing, and most importantly, life purpose was solidified and confirmed.
p.s. One of her collaborators noted that she had a wise soul trapped inside the body of a young girl. Apropos for Saturn dominate people.