Janice B and I met in 2009. Listening to us talk you would never get the impression that we just met. One might even assume it’s been years. It’s the Scorpio bond we share. She and I worked towards this interview for awhile but neither of our schedules ever seemed to want to make room. In December we finally met at Barnes & Noble at The Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore to have a talk about how she started singing, how she started performing professionally and how she had the faith to take it to the next level. So check it out Misfits, Janice B’s eXclusive interview with ETM.
Raven – I know you’re from Washington, DC. I also know that you’ve been singing since you were a little kid. So how did the singing come about? Are there singers in your family?
Janice – My mom sings. My grandmother plays piano and sang in a band. I’ve been singing since I was little but not really out there singing, not professional. I think that when everyone in your family already does that naturally; unless their already out their performing and making money from it, it’s not really something you think about. My mom sang in the church, I sang in the shower. You know?
Raven – (Laughs) the shower. Silly.
Janice – (Laughs) But in school I was in the chorus. I’ve always been involved in music and entertainment of some kind. It didn’t really hit me that this is something I could do, or that I could write. The writing part was a whole different factor. I’ve written since I was younger, like poems. But I never put poetry and music together, even though I always have songs in my head. It makes no sense. (Laughs). luminoUS has told me that as a writer she always has a script going through her head, you know, like a narrative, and that’s how I am. It’s always a song. It may not make sense (laughs).
Raven – Has it always been that way or did it happen at a certain age?
Janice – It think it has always been that way. I’ve always made songs like that but I think because I’ve always done it I didn’t I didn’t really know that was weird or that I was strange (Laughs).
Raven – (Laughs)
Janice – But yeah, I think it’s always been that way. I just think as I get older it starts to come together.
Raven – Coolage. So I noticed that the musical lineage is on your mother’s side of the family.
Janice – Yup.
Raven – That’s cool. It’s real “Charmed”. Real witch like. Lol.
Janice – It is! I didn’t think about that (Laughs).
Raven – The power is all through the females (Laughs)
Janice – My mother was a big influence but my grandmother put that performing spark in me. She would have me stand by the piano when I was little and ask me what do I want to sing…..
Raven – How old were you at the time?
Janice – Three.
Raven – Wow!
Janice – I haven’t been at this point for that long. It was 2002 when I started. That was the year of the first song we recorded.
Raven – So what was it like from Middle School until 30?
Janice – Insanity! (Laughs) Honestly, I really felt like something was missing out of my life. I didn’t really know what it was. It was like “Duh” (Laughs). I was doing other artistic things like drawn and stuff. I knew I wanted to do something creative but I wasn’t aware that I had the talent to make songs. I use to write poems but I don’t consider myself a poet at all. I’m a much better song writer. I don’t think poets are good song writers and vice versa. Just because you write a good poem doesn’t mean it’s going to be a song. There’s a different process. Writing songs just comes to me naturally. I’m a better baseball player that I am a poet (bursts out laughing)
Raven – Wow! Misfits you will never meet anyone so gifted who continually puts themselves down like this woman. Stop that (Laughs)
Janice – I’ve very critical of my work.
Raven – Understatement (Laughs)
Janice – Whether it’s drawing a portrait or anything else, it’s never ever done to me. I can draw a portrait and you can think it’s amazing and I’ll think “No, it’s not right”. You have to take it away from me because I’ll keep picking at it. I’m learning more discipline now thanks to Stinkiface music. I’m learning how to let go of control which is difficult for me and Scorpio’s in general.
To view Janice B's article in its entirety, click the link below:
http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2010/articles/01/2010_01_janiceb.html
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