Meet Janeece: Indie Artist on the Rise

If you’re looking for a new indie artist to listen to, we’ve got the perfect one for you! Bedroom pop meets indie Coming of Age vibes when you listen to Janeece and all the songs she’s got ready for you to hear. Unpublished had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the quickly up and coming indie pop artist who might just be your new favorite. We covered all topics about Janeece’s singer/songwriter journey from how she strayed away from sports to pursue her dream of the arts to her creative process when writing a song. We also got to talk about her newest EP “Retrospect” that will be out on Dec. 4, 2020, which you can pre-save here! 

[Unpublished:]  What inspired you or pushed you to get into music?

[Janeece:] I think that I have always loved music ever since I was little. I probably started to get into singing when I was about five years old and “Annie” was my go-to movie for a while. I remember I used to do talent shows in elementary school when I was about six and seven years old; I just loved being on stage. But then I got into sports instead and my parents kind of pushed me in that direction. I never really lost sight of my love for music and the arts, but it had to be pushed back a little bit. As of recently, I decided to quit soccer to pursue the arts and I think quarantine was where I was like, “Okay, you know what: I'm really going to pursue this now, and I'm going to practice it and really make my craft now.” So I think that quarantine honestly helped me realize what I’m going to do and to really dive into it now.

[Unpublished:]  What has changed since then? Have you become more dedicated or interested in music since you began to push yourself into that direction?

[Janeece:]   I went to Lollapalooza last year and I saw Maggie Rogers, who's my favorite artist of all time. I saw her perform and realized that's just what I want to do. Then I started doing open mics before quarantine started and actually won a couple. After that, I thought I might actually be able to do this. It was really good because it gave me more confidence to actually start writing and putting my music out there and performing live.

[Unpublished:] Alongside Maggie Rogers, what artists and musicians do you think have influenced your music?

[Janeece:] So, obviously Maggie Rogers, but I also feel like my most recent music on Spotify has been influenced by Clairo and girl in red– her songs about the LGBTQ community have really given me more confidence to sing about certain parts of my life that I was a little hesitant to before. I think that people will definitely resonate this with some of the songs on my EP that comes out in December. When I was growing up I really liked Ingrid Michaelson and Mumford and Sons, just that alternative and chill vibe. 

[Unpublished:]  How do you think that the internet/social media has affected the music industry or for you personally?

[Janeece:] I think that the internet and social media has given artists an opportunity to show and release their art much more easily. But also it makes the competition a little harder to be seen or heard, which is what I feel I struggled with. Before I decided to really start my music career, I would ask myself if it was going to be worth it; are people even going to listen because there's so much out there now. But I think that no matter what  people are going to hear you, people are going to see you, whoever's following you, it’s worth it.

[Unpublished:]  What is your creative process when writing a song?

[Janeece:]  I feel like it changes a little bit from time to time but I love songwriting. I find it therapeutic and it's something I can do on a daily basis. What I like to do is either find a beat or use my guitar/ ukulele to make a little tune and then I just go through the whole process. I make up a verse with what I have at the beginning and then just slowly progress. I don't write a whole song down and then make music to it or vice versa, I kind of just do it both at once. Sometimes I'll have a verse or a line in my head that I really want to put into a song and then I'll just make a song around that.

[Unpublished:]  What kind of vibe or genre would you best describe yourself as?

[Janeece:] That’s a hard one. I want to say indie pop because I feel like that’s what I go to for a lot of the time. Sometimes it’s a little bit more chill though, like the bedroom pop.

[Unpublished:] What do you enjoy most about being an artist?

[Janeece:]  I just love expressing myself in a way that is unique to me, and I love individualism which I feel like is everything to an artist and being human. The human experience is living this unique life that only you can experience and I think the arts is the most beautiful way to express it and portray it. I just feel so blessed that I'm able to do it in a way that resonates with other people, too.

[Unpublished:] If you could open a show for any artist or musician who would it be?

[Janeece:]  Yeah, I want to say Maggie Rogers because her music is so fun to dance to.

[Unpublished:] In regard to your EP, “Retrospect”, coming out on Dec. 4, what can we look forward to?
[Janeece:] You can look forward to hearing a little bit more about me in a more serious way. Some of the songs that I've released are fun but they're a little bit general. I think that in my EP, I dive a little bit deeper into my life from the past couple of years. It's kind of a coming of age, a reflection on what I've experienced and felt throughout the last couple of years of my life. There's so much more to me than what is out there right now and I just can't wait for people to hear it and share.

Be sure to add Janeece to your newest playlist because this is only the beginning for what she has in store for us. You can follow Janeece on Instagram and Spotify to stay updated on all the beats she’s working on. Also, don’t forget to pre-save “Retrospect” and be on the look-out for it, but until then, you can listen to Janeece’s singles like “Bored” and “Mary Jane” here!