IF PHILLY'S GOOD for one thing, it's bearded men, says a gorgeous, talented brunette who came to our fair city to sing her heart out.
Popular from her debut single, "Leave (Get Out)," which hit radio waves when she was just 13, singer/songwriter JoJo performed at Coda (1712 Walnut St.) last night, the Philadelphia stop on her North American tour.
"I love bearded men, and I see a lot of really attractive men with beards here, so I'm in heaven," JoJo told me yesterday.
Now 24, JoJo, born Joanna Noelle Blagden Levesque, stopped performing for six years because of complications with her old record label.
Originally an East Coast girl, she now lives in Los Angeles but said, "I'm always going to be a little more rough around the edges, a little more blunt than the L.A. folk, and I love that."
JoJo rose to stardom quickly when "Leave (Get Out)" was released in 2004. It topped Billboard's pop songs chart and made her the youngest-ever solo artist to have a No. 1 single in the U.S. She was nominated for best new artist for the MTV Video Music Awards - another youngest-ever record for a solo artist.
She recently released three songs on Atlantic Records and planned to perform them at Coda last night. Her as-yet untitled album has been ranked by BuzzFeed and Fuse as one of the most anticipated of 2015.
"My music has evolved as I have, just naturally. Whether its been love or heartbreak or sex or friendship or something in between, I've just always tried to follow my heart and listen to what's going on around me," she said.
She added that every time she's in Philly she goes to Ishkabibble's on South Street for a cheesesteak.
New gig for radio guy
Congrats to WXPN general manager Roger LaMay, new chairman of the National Public Radio Board of Directors in Washington, D.C., yesterday. It's a one-year term, so he'll continue to be based in Philadelphia.
"It's a great honor and responsibility to be elected to lead one of the world's leading fact-based journalism organizations," LaMay said in a news release. "NPR is peerless in its impact on our culture and democracy."
Radio anniversary
Oxford Circle native Marc Berman celebrates the fifth anniversary of "The Marc Berman Show" on Atlantic City's WOND (1400-AM) with a party tomorrow at the Irish Pub (164 St. James Place, Atlantic City).
Among the regulars on the show, which airs Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m., is the People Paper's own Chuck Darrow, whose segment can be heard at 2:05 p.m. each week.
'Birds Court'
A new comedy web series centered around Eagles fans has debuted on YouTube.
Created by Philly twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Walsh, "Birds Court" will be filmed mainly in Los Angeles, although the series is based on the first-ever in-stadium court system at the old Vet Stadium, where many nights ended in fisticuffs.
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