JoJo Siwa, singer and dancer, meets Long Island kids

We interviewed singer, Nickelodeon star and former “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa when she was in Manhattan to announce her tour. She is going to be at the Beacon Theater June 18 and Nassau Coliseum July 26.

Can you tell us about your concert, and are you excited about it?

I’m really excited about it. You know, it’s my first time ever going out on tour. We’ve got the bus. We’ve got the dancers. We've got all the crew. We've got pretty much a show almost every night. It’s going to be a really fun, exciting time.

How does it feel when you’re onstage?

It’s really cool because I just look out into the audience and I see all these people singing along with me and dancing with me. And so that’s probably my favorite part about being on stage.

Are you excited about your first EP?

I’m so excited about my first EP act. It‘s the first time that I've ever released more than one song, so it’s really cool that it’s like more than one. There’s four in the whole EP. There’s all this new music. I hope you guys like it.

What do you like about being in the recording studio?

It’s so fun because we’re all good friends and we’re all just hanging out and laughing. They’re like: Oh, yeah, we should probably record some music. It’s fun recording. It’s really awesome.

What is the best part of being famous?

I think getting to meet people all across the world. I think getting to travel and getting to perform and doing really cool things all over is probably my favorite part.

Is it easy to dance?

It can be easy. There are things that are easier than others. There are some things that are harder than others. But if you want to dance and you want to put your mind into it and heart into it, and go for it, then you can do it.

How many bows have you made?

Have I made? Like that are in the JoJo Bow collection? There’s over 5,000 styles, which is crazy. So that’s 5,000 different bows. But bows that have been sold, there’s over 30 million, which is crazy.

What is your favorite dance you’ve performed in competitions?

Probably my first solo actually. I was only 2 years old.

Do you like making music videos?

I do. I love making music videos. It’s a really fun time. You know, D.R.E.A.M., the last music video that I just released, we wore Heelys, which are shoes that have wheels on them. And so I was wheeling around the set with all my friends all day.

How did you come up with making the idea of your own bow?

It kind of just happened. You know, I've loved the bows ever since I was little. My mom just kind of stuck them in my hair. And as I got older, the bows got bigger and I loved the bows even more. Now I have this like, empire of bows almost.

When did you start blogging? What is your favorite part about blogging?

I started blogging, about, I want to say 500 days ago, because I remember my last blog. Now I’m doing something different on my blogs. I’m doing something called JoJo Siwa Unlocked, which is kind of just more like the reality of my life.

What’s the best thing about being on a Nickelodeon show?

I think it's getting to say that you worked for Nickelodeon. It is really cool and the best job ever.

Do you have any siblings?

I do. I have one brother. He is 18. We’re two years apart.

Do you like being a singer/actress and dancer? Which one do you like best?

I probably like singing and dancing combined. I don’t know though. I do like acting, too. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, honestly. And yes, I do love doing all of them. Thank you, I love it.

What is your favorite YouTube video?

My favorite YouTube video that I’ve ever done? Oh, that’s a really hard question. My favorite YouTube video — I love the videos that I’ve done with Miranda Sings. Those ones are fun ones. I love all my baby-sitting videos. No, I know my answer. I just did a baby-sitting video. . . .  And I baby-sit mini-Jake Paul at the Team 10 house. It was crazy, but it was really fun.

How often do you practice singing and dancing each day?

Pretty much every day. You know, whether it’s taking a singing lesson or singing in the car. Any singing counts.

How do you balance everything going on in your life from being famous?

Something that’s really cool about what I do is a lot of my friends do the same thing. You know, so one of my best friends, she does YouTube. She knows what it’s like, and that’s how a lot of my friends are. We all do the same thing and we all know what it’s like for each other. We give each other advice. My family, you know, my family is always there for me. They’re great. They’re the best. It can be a struggle at times, but it always works out.

Cynthia Howe and Stefanie Murphy’s fourth-grade class, R.J.O. Intermediate School, Kings Park