Alt Pop artist, Cat Janice’s story is truly inspiring. Between her battle with Cancer and passion for music, she has been able to tell her story through an artistic lens. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Cat’s love for music began at the ripe age of six and just kept on growing as she got involved in playing instruments and joining different musical groups. After being diagnosed with cancer, she felt like her life was completely falling apart and she began to lose focus on what she loves most, music. However, she realized that music was her outlet and decided to use it to raise awareness and express her self. Her new single, ‘Chill the fck out’ represents her way of relieving stress after her cancer diagnosis and sending the positive message of normalizing anxiety and finding ways to work through it. Besides music, Cat is involved in several nonprofits that focus on a variety of different, important causes. Keep reading to learn more about Cat Janice’s encouraging story and positive outlook on life!

Where are you based?
I’m born and raised in Northern Virginia!

Tell us about your background that got you into music and songwriting?
I started taking classical violin and piano when I was six and I never stopped! I was homeschooled, so I spent a lot of time tinkering with musical instruments. Eventually, it turned into playing with orchestras, bands, ensembles, theaters, etc., but when I was 14, my cousin gave me the album “Neon Bible” by Arcade Fire… and that completely changed the way I thought about music. I’ll never forget the first time I banged out “No Cars Go” on my old Yamaha and decided that I wanted to do this forever. I started songwriting after I fell in love with Norah Jones. I loved her style, and wanted to write music with the emotional pull she had. That quickly turned into Southern Rock and eventually morphed into the alt rock/pop I’m enjoying writing today!

You recently dropped a new single, “Chill the fck out,” what was the inspiration behind this groovy, relatable song?
“Chill the fck out” started when I was stressed driving home from work. I started saying “chill the fck out” to myself to calm my panic and it quickly turned into a song I would sing myself. It became my mantra for dealing with the stress of my cancer diagnosis, and that’s when I finished it. My lyrics “I’ve been sipping on a blueberry night” is like telling yourself to “take a chill pill”.

What message did you want your audience to receive?
It’s perfectly ok to have feelings of anxiety, let’s sing and scream through them! We all have them, and I hope this little song helps you through it in the way it has for me.

’Love Warning’ is also a really fun song. What inspired this song?
That feeling of running through the woods with bare feet, wrapped up around your first love, singing at the top of your lungs, nothing around but the moon and the stars. . . that is “Love Warning”. It’s an echo of a beautiful story long ago.

How do you go about writing new music and songs?
My favorite songs I’ve written have come to me so quickly they feel like I can’t write them down fast enough. This usually happens in the car or in the shower. I hear the melody long before I even figure out the chords or the backing. My melodies often reflect where I am in life or what I’m going through.

You sometimes put clips on TikTok of some things you have written. Do you use TikTok to feel out new music?
I just started using Tiktok to feel out new music! But mostly I will write something, or a melody comes to me, and I just want to sing it and put it out there. Sometimes I feel like things come to me cause they just need to be heard. If people like them, I’ll work on them and finish the song.

Do you have any advice for those who want to start writing songs but don’t know where to start?
The most important thing I have learned in song writing is to not force a song. I have written so many songs that I feel like I forced, and I don’t like them. Just sit down with your instrument, and start singing, even if it is nonsense. Words will naturally start to come to you. When you approach writing like that, it always comes from the heart.

Jejune is truly inspired by your positive and happy go lucky attitude! How has being diagnosed with cancer changed your outlook on life?
Thank you! Being diagnosed with cancer has been both terrifying and wildly freeing in a way. In a very short period of time, I lost my job, my music focus, my future, and my physical appearance was literally “shaved” away. Although I put on a face of positivity, deep down I was hopeless and scared. But there is something magical about shedding your inner and outer self completely. Nothing mattered anymore except winning the upcoming battle. And this taught me to prioritize what was truly important in my life: loved ones and passions. If I only had X number of years to live, I was going to only do what truly brought me joy. Now that I have come this far in my cancer diagnosis, I will strive to continue that outlook on life and sing about what I want, take time for myself, and enjoy adventures and quality time with my loved ones.

We actually love the bald look on you. You rock it! Do you plan to keep it? What made you decide to not wear a wig?
Thank you! I’ve kind of enjoyed how freeing it feels, I just want my eyebrows back!! I want to keep it short for a while and rock the buzz cut, it’s a reminder for me to be focused on what really matters. I chose not to wear a wig because I wanted to just completely embrace the new me. A wig felt like a cover up, like I was ashamed of myself. And I wanted to push myself to be proud of my changing body, and let others see that.

How did finding out that you were diagnosed with cancer change the way you write songs and make music?
I have written so much quality music since my diagnosis and I know it’s because I’m allowing myself to truly be who I want to be. I used to spend too much time worrying about other’s opinions or input on songs, and now I just want to make sure I’m proud of the music I leave behind, if it comes to that. I hope my listeners are inspired by my upcoming music, cause it’s going to be a little bit different than my past tunes!

Jejune loves that you have founded and managed your own nonprofit! Can you tell us a bit more about the Hope Marietta Foundation and what started it?
The Hope Marietta Foundation is my family’s non-profit, run by my amazing cousin Adam Armiger, to support family’s with children with congenital heart disease. I’m so honored to be a part of it. It was started ten years ago in memory of my sweet cousin Hope who passed away as an infant from CHD. It’s so amazing how incredibly strong some of these kids are. We throw events every year to raise money for them.

Are there any other nonprofits or organizations that you want to work with or create in the future?
Before I was diagnosed, I was finishing my Master of Science in Geology, focusing on Coastal Processes. I’m really passionate about the Earth and our future here and so I started a small volunteer group called “Love Earth a Little More”. We would host open mic nights and jam sessions to raise money for parks clean ups. It was a ton of fun! I’m hoping to get back into it this summer.

We are inspired by how strong and positive you have been despite your struggles with cancer. Do you have any advice for anyone who may be struggling?
My biggest advice for you is to focus on yourself. Do whatever it is you need to feel good. Don’t stress about the people around you and don’t worry about the future, those things will take care of themselves. Focus on the now and focus on what you need to be happy. It’s all about you now, let yourself breathe, and take care of yourself.

It has been a crazy few years, how have you been staying positive?
I keep myself distracted with plenty of outside time, family time, and I’ve been learning more about production! I have produced a lot of my new music and I’m really excited to be on this piece of the writing process. It’s like learning to paint, but with music. So many colors, mediums, styles, and tools. . . the possibilities are endless! I started tooling around with it during COVID and it has brought me a lot of joy since.

What does 2023 look like for you? Do you have any exciting things that you are working towards for this year?
2023 is going to be my year of winning! I’m going to breeze through my scans and get my health back. I’m working on a tour, a new EP, and a new film!

What is your motto in life?
Don’t be afraid to feel everything.

To learn more about Cat, please follow her via the links below:
catjanicemusic.com
TikTok: @cat.janice
Instagram: @cat.janice

Photos by Handwritten Records.

Alt Pop Artist Cat Janice - Fighting Cancer Through Music