| Trying Not to Think About It | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2021 | |||
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| Length | 32:56 | |||
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| Producer |
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| JoJo chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Trying Not To Think About It | ||||
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Trying Not to Think About It is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter JoJo. It was released on October 1, 2021, by Clover Music and Warner Records. It was JoJo's third release under her own label imprint Clover Music.
Following the release of her first Christmas album December Baby (2020), production began on the "time capsule project" at the start of 2021. JoJo wanted to make a record that encapsulated the feelings she experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on her personal life, career, and confidence as a performer. JoJo wrote and produced the album alongside Jordan XL, Noise Club, Dernst "D Mile" Emile II, Rob Grimaldi, Cardiak, Nikki Flores and various other collaborators. With the exception of "B.I.D.", JoJo co-wrote every song on the album.
To promote the album, JoJo embarked on the Trying Not to Think About It Tour which began the day after its release. The tour played for six dates across the United States. The album was further promoted through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year. The album's lead single, "Worst (I Assume)", was released on August 20, 2021 and peaked at number 25 on the Adult R&B Airplay Chart. On the same day as the release of the album, "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)" was released its second single.
Upon its release, the album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. It was highlighted by several music publications in their year-end lists of the top R&B albums for 2021. Trying Not To Think About It failed to debut on the US Billboard 200, but did chart on the Top Album Sales chart at number 80, while also debuting at number 56 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.
On October 30, 2020, JoJo released her fifth studio album December Baby, her first album of Christmas music. In January 2021, JoJo canceled her Good to Know tour after having previously rescheduled it twice due to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that she was planning on having a new album released by 2022.[1] JoJo first announced Trying Not to Think About It project in a YouTube livestream on May 27, 2021. She labeled it as neither an album nor EP stating: "I really want it to exist in its own little moment, have it look a certain way, feel a certain way and sound a certain way".[2] JoJo described the release as a "time capsule" of how she felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said: "The pandemic made all of us come face to face not only with ourselves but with our coping mechanisms."[3]
Recording sessions for Trying Not to Think About It were generally conducted at Blackwood Studios in California with additional sessions in California's T4U Studios, Sphere Studios, Luuna's Room; Ameraycan Recording Studios and the Prescription Songs Nashville Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.[4]
On August 16, 2021, JoJo announced the release of the album and its lead single "Worst (I Assume)".[5] JoJo also announced the six-date Trying Not to Think About It Tour in support of the album.[5][6] The album was further promoted through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year.[7]
"Worst (I Assume)" was released as the lead single from the album on August 20, 2021.[5] The song was written by JoJo alongside Tiara Thomas, Carl McCormick and Kelvin Wooten and produced by Cardiak and Kelvin Wu10. The accompanying music video was shot in Downtown, Los Angeles with director Alfredo Flores and was shot in one take.[8] The song was written "from the protective mechanism that sometimes people have of bracing for the worst in a relationship, whether it's romantic, or professional, even though that might not be what ends up happening".[8] On the same day as the release of the album, JoJo released its second single, "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)", alongside a music video also directed by Flores.[9][10]
| Tour by JoJo | |
 Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Associated album | Trying Not to Think About It |
|---|---|
| Start date | October 2, 2021 |
| End date | October 11, 2021 |
| Legs | 1 |
| No. of shows | 6 in North America |
| JoJo concert chronology | |
JoJo announced on her Instagram that the Trying Not to Think About It Tour would commence immediately following the release of the album. The tour was a six-date run of intimate live shows that visited Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, and Los Angeles. The show included the first live performances of songs from JoJo's fourth studio album Good to Know. General on sale tickets went on sale on Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 am.[11][12] Tiara Thomas was announced as the opening act for all tour dates, but on October 2, it was announced that due to unforeseen circumstances Tiara Thomas would only appear at the Los Angeles show.[13][6][14]
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America[15][16] | |||
| October 2, 2021 | Boston | United States | Sinclair |
| October 4, 2021 | New York | Music Hall of Williamsburg | |
| October 5, 2021 | Philadelphia | Underground Arts | |
| October 7, 2021 | Atlanta | Terminal West | |
| October 9, 2021 | Nashville | Exit/In | |
| October 11, 2021 | Los Angeles | El Rey | |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 6.3/10[17] |
Dani Blum from Pitchfork provided a mixed review of Trying Not to Think About It, who called it her "rawest and most cohesive project to date", but also said that it "too often relies on familiar imagery".[17]
| Publication | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Yardbarker[18] | The Best R&B Albums of 2021 | 10 |
| Vibe[19] | The 21 Best R&B Albums of 2021 | 5 |
| American Songwriter[20] | The 41 Best Albums of 2021 | 2 |
| Rated R&B[21] | 30 Best R&B Albums of 2021 | 16 |
Trying Not to Think About It failed to debut on the US Billboard 200 but debuted on the Top Current Album Sales and Top Album Sales chart at number 51 and number 80 respectively.[22] The album also made its debut on the UK R&B Albums Chart at number 32.[23]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "World of Sunshine" (Intro) |
|
| 2:42 |
| 2. | "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)" |
|
| 4:05 |
| 3. | "Dissolve" |
| 3:31 | |
| 4. | "Good Enough" (Interlude) |
|
| 2:08 |
| 5. | "B.I.D." |
|
| 3:07 |
| 6. | "Feel Alright" |
|
| 2:56 |
| 7. | "Fresh New Sheets" |
|
| 4:59 |
| 8. | "Sugar & Carbs" (Interlude) |
|
| 0:21 |
| 9. | "Spiral SZN" |
|
| 2:48 |
| 10. | "Nikki's Sound Bath" (Interlude) |
|
| 0:48 |
| 11. | "Worst (I Assume)" |
|
| 3:08 |
| 12. | "Lift" |
| Caroline Baker | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 32:56 | |||
Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.[4]
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[24] | 56 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[25] | 80 |
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 1, 2021 |
|
Digital edition | [26] | |
| October 15, 2021 | CD | Physical edition | [27] | ||
| November 18, 2022 | Vinyl | [28] |
