LOS ANGELES — You may know JoJo as the teen queen who found fame at the age of 13, and over the years, she has returned to music with powerful vocals — winning her first a Grammy award last year. 

Now at 30 years old, JoJo as an artist choses songs that pack meaning.

“I realized so many of the things I care about are indeed political,” she said.

Making music reflective of the state of the country is nothing new for JoJo, and for that reason, she released “American Mood.” Her powerful anthem, “The Change,” written by Diane Warren, was the official song of the Biden-Harris campaign’s Get Out The Vote effort.

Music had arguably never been associated with a movement the way it was in the 1960s. Then, as Variety Senior Music Editor Jem Aswad said, along came the year 2020.

Bob Dylan advocated for civil rights, and the Rolling Stones ignited feelings of rebellion. The Beatles encouraged peace and love, and last year, a wave of songs were released with just as potent messages.

As the nation entered an unprecedented global pandemic, it triggered the first wave of moment-defining music.

“The first Taylor swift album was reflective of that time. [It was] about isolation and loneliness. When the protest starts in June, it was a whole lot of energy burst out. People started writing songs to march to,” Aswad said. 

Her’s “I Can’t Breathe” is now nominated for a Grammy, and it’s an example of artists’ cry for change, similar to those from the 1960’s.

Ironically, JoJo’s new song “American Mood,” which details the new era America has just entered and all the work that lies ahead, takes a page from the folk songwriters of the 1960’s.

It is a simple song with a powerful message.

“Hold these elected officials to what their promises were, and try to remember this is the United States of America so as much as we can have compassion for people who have different views than us. That’s a good thing to keep in mind," she said.

A year full of a decade’s worth of musical meaning.