Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with JanaeSound

JanaeSound developed her passion for music after her grandmother introduced her to the artists she grew up listening to. It not only shaped how she sings and writes, but instilled a deep appreciation for those who paved the way for JanaeSound to do what she loves.

Pop Culturalist had the chance to catch up with this talented up-and-comer about her career.

PC: How you discovered your passion for music?
JanaeSound: I was really blessed to find out that I loved music at a young age. At the time, all of the singers on the radio were altos, but I sounded absolutely horrible when I sang. Then, one time in choir, my teacher took me by the piano and ran scales with me. He was like, “Wow, you sound better up high. That’s called soprano. That’s great.” He gave me this tape that I would later realize was an audition piece and it was a cappella. He took me on a field trip, which was actually an audition for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. I was lucky enough to be cast in La bohème. Even though opera wasn’t for me, I’ve known for a long time that I loved music.

PC: What is your creative process like when you’re working on a new song? Has it evolved over time?
JanaeSound: It depends. I try to write if I’m in a particular mood. It doesn’t matter if I’m happy or sad, but if I’ve got some emotions going, that really helps with lyrics. The first thing I start with is the melody, and I usually start with hooks. Sometimes I’ll write a hook, won’t even finish the song, and come back to it later, or I’ve also been forcing myself to power through and try to do at least a song a day. That helps you get stronger. Just like anything else in life, you have to practice and put in the work. Sometimes those songs are awful, but it’s about forcing yourself through that process over and over again.

PC: Who or what would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?
JanaeSound: That’s a great question. Musically, my influences are Nina Simone, Heart, and Led Zeppelin. I was blown away in my youth watching glam rock and women in rock, because they were allowed to be strong and powerful. That was so beautiful to me in ways that had nothing to do with physical appearance. It just resonated with me that you could be powerful in rock. It wasn’t necessarily about being beautiful or delicate, it was about getting your point across, which seemed like something I wanted to do. I try to write anthems, so basically rock helped form my style.

Also, my grandma turned me on to all kinds of music from her youth, like Nina Simone. It shaped how I write, how I sing, and just being able to look up to women of color, especially black women in music. I got to learn about their struggles and how hard it was for them to get through the doors. I have to thank the people who came before me for every opportunity that I get, especially Nina Simone, who I love. One of her first performances was at church. Her parents, who were in the first pew, were asked to move to make way for a white couple who wanted to hear her sing. That’s not something I have to face, so I’m really grateful for everyone who has come before me and all the struggles they had to overcome. I’ve always been lucky enough to have parents who taught me the struggle and not just the glamorous stuff we see on TV or hear on the radio.

PC: Tell us about your two singles: “Break Me Down” and “Diamonds”. What inspired those two tracks?
JanaeSound: I wrote “Diamonds” when things weren’t going well. I’m in a good place now, but it was rough for a minute. I felt like I had so many reasons to quit. It just seemed to make more sense: I’m getting older, I don’t have a lot of money, I don’t have a team, not that I need a record deal, but it’s not like offers are rolling in. That existential dread and those negative thoughts can take over. I don’t know why, but I had this fire that was like, “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have money, or maybe you don’t have the looks, or maybe you don’t have anything, but you do have this song and this fire.” I wrote a song to myself and anyone else who is like, “What am I doing?” Sometimes, we see this big mountain in front of us and we’re like, “How am I going to climb this?” You do it one step at a time.

The song is about never giving up on yourself, even when it seems like you have every reason to quit. I’ve been so blessed that the song has been well-received. It ended up being like a self-fulfilling prophecy, where I really wrote it when I was like, “Husband, I think I’m going to quit. I’m going to hang it up,” and then it became my first single and something that really caught everyone’s attention. I’m just so blessed for everyone who was involved to help promote the song and for those that come out and listen. People are writing me saying that it’s helping them. I feel like if your music touches anyone, then that’s a win.

I wrote “Break Me Down” when I was angry. It’s a little war revenge anthem. Something not so nice had happened: someone was being unkind and it bothered me more than it usually does. I said, “You know what? I don’t like this feeling where I’m feeling either bad for myself or wishing it hadn’t happened. It has happened. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can only go forward.” It was like if you change how you feel about things, you can really move through them faster. Someone wasn’t nice, but it’s up to me to say, “I’m not a victim.” I wrote this song that I think is an uplifting anthem where you move all the obstacles out of your way and just keep going. I hope that when people listen to it, they feel invincible. I don’t know who you might be mad at—maybe a boss, a friend, or someone in your way—but I mean, you can’t control what others are going to do. You can only control yourself. I choose to love because it’s just easier. Love and forgive…not forget, though. [laughs]

PC: Can we expect more singles this year? Maybe a larger body of work?
JanaeSound: Absolutely, expect both! My goal for 2019 is to release more content. I write all the time. I write every day. I write for other artists, too, but it’s time for me to start releasing more content, and I actually have a whole bunch lined up already. Depending on how things are received, that will help me figure out what the biggest body of work is going to be.

PC: What would you say is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned being a part of this industry?
JanaeSound: The biggest lesson? Well, you learn something new every day. I think the biggest takeaway I’ve had is to remain positive, even when it doesn’t feel like you should or you could. Also, you don’t want to be the smartest person in the room. I’ve never felt that way, but make sure you’re constantly learning from others and teaching what you know. I’ve learned that this industry is a machine in a sense. We’re all little parts, but we’re stronger together. It’s better to treat people kindly, not because you have to, but because you want to. Be kind, be open, and be positive. Those are my biggest lessons. If I had done that from the beginning, I wouldn’t have faced some of the other lessons I don’t want to talk about.

PC: When you look ahead in your career, what are some of the aspirations that you hope to accomplish?
JanaeSound: I’m a big dreamer. At the risk of sounding delusional, I would love to open up for some of my favorite mainstream artists. I would love to write for them. I would love to just keep going with songwriting—that’s a passion of mine. I take lessons for piano, guitar, singing, just to have constant growth. I don’t know. Maybe it would be nice if one of my songs was on my favorite TV show. I know that sounds so delusional, but that’s what I would love.

PC: As we look ahead to 2019, what does the year hold for you?
JanaeSound: II’ve been on the road a ton. I just got back from The Bitter End. That was my third time there and we had even more people out this time. I also just did a huge show at Merrill in Portland with a visual VR component to the show, so I was wearing these, like, trackers and made movements which correlated with this giant train behind me. The computer would track me and then display a certain image is all I can say. I’ll be going into that realm more with my performances and really beefing up how things look; I’ll be releasing a lot of content, videos, stuff like that; and I’ll be hitting the road more, which is something that’s been so fun. So, more music, on the road, and really amping up my performances.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
JanaeSound: Honestly, I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you like something, you like it. Right now, mama likes these true crime documentaries. I just watched the Ted Bundy one and Abducted in Plain Sight. I actually watched it twice. I can’t get over it.

PC: Favorite movie?
JanaeSound: I love The Princess Bride. There’s nothing better than Westley and a long, true love–it’s so great. I actually went to a screening of it in Worcester, Mass. Some of the actors were there to talk about the film and after the movie, they showed us pictures from the set and stuff. It was amazing.

PC: Favorite book?
JanaeSound: I’m probably going to say Pride and Prejudice because I keep going back to that. Although lately, I’ve been in sci-fi, and rereading Game of Thrones—that kind of stuff.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
JanaeSound: I love The Producers. I’ve been singing “When You Got It, Flaunt It” for an inappropriate amount of time. When I was little, I would hit that happy note above the G string. I love the dancing. It’s so fun. I love the remake, too.

PC: First album you ever bought?
JanaeSound: With my allowance, I bought *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached. It was an actual CD and maybe it was like at FYE or something that doesn’t even exist anymore. Yeah, I was such an *NSYNC fan.

PC: First concert you ever attended?
JanaeSound: I think it was Green Day. No, it was Avril Lavigne. Oh my gosh, “Sk8er Boi”. I knew all the words and absolutely loved it. She crushed it. No wonder I want to do rock: I got to see something like that live!

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
JanaeSound: I’m terrible with albums. I know singles. I remember being obsessed with 4 by Beyoncé. I felt like she took so many risks. That album was critically acclaimed and so beautiful. I loved “1+1” and “End of Time”. I felt like that was one of the albums where she was really starting to tell us about herself. It was just so inspiring, such a beautiful production. I got it at Target because it was sold there exclusively at first. I sat down and I listened from start to finish twice; that was my whole night. I love Beyoncé. It was just a beautiful album in a whole new direction. To this day, my favorite performance of hers ever is at the Billboard Awards where she does “Run the World” and there’s like this visceral visual component where she’s like dancing in front of the screen. It’s amazing.

PC: A venue that’s on your bucket list to perform at?
JanaeSound: I want to play Red Rocks. It just seems so aesthetically pleasing. I want to cry just looking at it.

To keep up with JanaeSound, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up her music on iTunes, Amazon Music, or stream it on Spotify.