Written By: Raven Ekundayo
Photography By: Quill Wordsmith
FINALLY! For all of you patient Janice B. fans out there I apologize on behalf of all the Misfits for taking so long to get this to you. We missed February but here ya go, Part II of my conversation with my big sis Janice B, eXclusively on the EYM blog. We discuss Racism, meeting Mo-rece and joining Stinkiface music and why music tastes like Popyes to her. We pick up the convo where we left off in the magazine on part I. I wanted to know what "Blue eyed soul" meant to her. Enjoy....
Janice – Well, that’s a good question. I think “Blue eyed soul” is a term that the record industry puts out there to promote their “blue eyed” singers (Laughs). Usually the people that fits that category like Joss Stone and people like that have voices that sound, I don’t want to say African American, but they sound like a sister. You know? I think that’s the way they market it. I don’t think that’s me and I don’t put myself in that category. I don’t think I sound like that, country maybe (Laughs). I think that’s kind of why I say I do music with soul, not soul music. That goes back to my age again because when I was growing up there wasn’t an R&B section it was a soul section. The music was soul music and if the person who was singing it was Black they were in the soul music section. If you’re Black you’re in the soul music section, that’s how it was….eXcept for the Doobie Brothers (Laughs). Now while I don’t think I fit in the “Blue eyed soul” category I do think I’m different in the sense that you can’t label me. I tend to write for me and I write what I feel. Some things are my story and some things are other people’s stories or whatever I feel at the moment. But yeah, so I don’t think I’m “Blue eyed soul”, “Brown eyed soul”, Light skin soul”, whatever (Laughs).
Raven – (Laughs). Light skin soul!
Janice – I’ve had people think I was Black before when they hear me speak.
Raven – Of which I could understand.
Janice – And I think I told you when I did my first interview on Blog talk radio with Barron.
Raven – That was your first interview?
Janice – Yes!
Raven – Oh wow I didn’t know that! That makes me feel so good that I was a part of that.
Janice – That was SO much fun (Laughs). A lot of people from my job heard it and one guy said to me “Wow, you really turned on the street”. I was like no honey I was turning off the corporate (Laughs). People are funny because they want to put you in a box and that makes me so angry. I think my purpose is to blur those lines of what people think a white vocalist is and a country singer is. To me if a song is good it doesn’t matter how you sing it. A lot of people don’t agree with me on this but I think a song takes on its own life according to who’s performing it. India.Irie has songs that sound country. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is but people want to put you in that category and I don’t do well with that. If you’re a true musician color means nothing.
Raven – Ok, if I can take a step back a little bit. We talked about how you first got into music and when you met Earl and Brian O’Neal and all but we need to discuss Maurice (Mo-rece) and Stinkiface music. I know you’ve told me things came to you through prayer it seems.
Janice – When you visualize it and you act it out and you speak it, it’ll come to you if it’s supposed to be for you. Before I met Earl I prayed; we had gone to see this band, it was my birthday, and it was an acoustic Latin band. There was something about that night where I told myself I need to do this. I didn’t know what capacity because I wasn’t even writing songs then but I knew I needed to be in that energy.
Raven – Ok, was this like the last year before you decided to leave the group?
Janice – This was 2002.
Raven – Ok
Janice – So I went home and I prayed on it. I never say “gimme this” (Laughs). God doesn’t like that.
Raven – Right, like “I want this now!”
Janice – Right (Laughs). I say this is what I feel and if this is what you want from me I’m ready so show me what I need to do. Literally within a week I was talking to Earl and he had songs he wanted me to hear. You have to be open to change. A lot of people talk about the big things they want to do and are going to do but they don’t want to step out….you know all about that.
Raven – (Laughs) Yes I do. lord knows I do.
Janice – We’re going to make a lot of friends with this conversation. Lol. But yeah, I believe Maurice (Founder of Stinkiface music), contact me initially. He came to the bands myspace page and asked about a sound person.
Raven – What year was this?
Janice – This was (Thinking) Oh lord. What year are we in again?
Raven – Oh boy. Lol
Janice – We probably started talking at the end of 2007 and Brian O’Neal sent me some tracks and I wrote lyrics to them and Maurice worked with me on them and recorded them. That’s how we started together. A lot of people have approached me lately because (in a sarcastic tone) we’re so popular now (laughs). It trips me out when someone’s like “You’re Janice B” and I’m like “Yes” (Laughs).
Raven – (Laughs).
Raven – Ok, so we’re winding down with the questions.
Janice – What does music smell like?
Raven – Why? Why Misfits? (Laughs). Why is she already prepared? What is going on (Laughs)?
Janice – I read (Laughs). I do my work. I don’t have an answer for it (Laughs), but I read.
Raven – Ok (Laughs). Well here we go. What does music taste like to you?
Janice – Oh wow (Thinks for a minute). I think music tastes like everything like chicken wings and hot sauce and macaroni and cheese and popyes and lake trout and.
Raven – (Falling out laughing). Wow, well alright.
Janice – And that’s my answer.
Raven – I’m not mad at you. (Laughs). What does music look like to you?
Janice – Wow. These questions are tough (Laughs). I think it looks like all of us. I don’t think there’s a face on music. Whatever God looks like is what I think it looks like, though I don’t know what God looks like.
Raven – Wow.
Janice – (Smiles) is that a good answer?
Raven – Yeah, even though you’re not supposed to ask me that (Laughs).
Janice – I just think music is heavenly. It’s like life blood.
Raven – I’m feeling that. What does music smell like to you?
Janice – You’re killing me, I hate you (Laughs).
Raven (Laughs).
Janice – I think it smells like earth (Pause followed by a laugh). It smells like arm pits.
Raven – Oh boy (Laughs). This works perfectly because the label you’re signed to is stinki!
Janice – (Laughs). See you took it there.
Raven – (Laughs). So now we’re to the final question. When Janice B. thinks of eXcaping the matriX, what does that mean to her?
Janice – I wasn’t prepared for that. I think it’s like everything we talked about. Blurring the edges, looking at things differently. I think it’s stepping outside of the box that society tries to put us in and persevering through that. People talk about what they want to do but I think that you need to decide what you think success is because it’s not always walking the red carpet at the MTV awards. You know? There were so many people trying to hold me back and telling me it was too late or I’m too old and I’m like huh? If it’s in you it’s in you. Your magazine and your company is a whole different world and you feel what I’m talking about all around you guys.
Raven – Thank you!
Janice – Was that a good answer? Where’s Vanna?
Raven – (Laughs). You’re hilarious. I would like to say that I have truly enjoyed this. Thank you so much.
Janice – Thank you. I enjoyed this too.
For More information on Janice B:http://www.stinkifacemusic.com
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