Jojo calls Hilary Duff a Manufactured Artist

In response to recent rumors that she was turned down for the role of Hannah Montana, teen pop singer Jojo has released the following statement on her MySpace blog:

"Another mistake that is stated on the Wikipedia page is that I turned down the Hannah Montanna role because of my hectic schedule. This is not true. I was not interested in doing a television show like that because I did not want to be that kind of artist. I am more concerned with being a legitimate artist; not one created for the captive tween audience, from a television show. They were going to use the same formula that they did with Hillary Duff and her show, and I did not want to be a manufactured artist. I wanted to do it on my own; the old fashioned way; with talent, determination, and hard work, and without a television show, which is fed to the tween masses. This is the same reason I have turned down every reality show that has been offered to me, since I signed my record deal. For me, it is about integrity."

While it is hard to argue that Disney stars like Hilary and Miley Cyrus aren't manufactured, Jojo's comments seem out of line. Just because Hilary got her start on the Disney channel doesn't mean that she lacks talent. And to say that she doesn't work hard is laughable. While I'm sure Jojo didn't mean to insult Hilary personally I think she could have chosen her words more carefully.