JANEVA undoubtedly caught The Kollection’s ears with her sweet-as-honey vocals on Tendendo‘s stand-out single, “One Stop Shop.” In cross-referencing this with her killer 2017 release, “Humble Beginnings (feat. Zensofly)”, it’s not difficult to see that JANEVA’s array of R&B, Pop, and Experimental influences come together to generate an entirely novel and unique sound that she stays true to through and through. She has yet to let us down with a single release, and that’s exactly why The Kollection decided to chat with her and share a bit of her story with the world.
When writing songs, one would assume you need to be in a completely creative mindset. How do you find yourself dealing with the pressure of everyday life when trying to form new ideas during your writing process?
I’d be lying if I said I never had a bad creative day (I’m constantly reminding myself the wisdom of Hannah Montana aha; ’Nobody’s Perfect’) but if I start to stress over the outcome, I know I’m probably not going to write a song to my full potential. I think the key to sustaining continuous creativity is keeping your mind open to inspiration and taking the pressure off yourself to write the ‘best song you’ve ever written’ . I write best when I’m most relaxed so if I go into a session with an open mind and trust that I’m in the room for a reason it usually works out okay! Every artist or producer has some kind of story to tell or inspiration to give its just about taking the time to explore that, talk about it and find it before jumping in to start the actual writing process.
How did you initially link with The Rubens? Did you first reach out to them, vice versa, or were you connected through a mutual party?
I supported The Rubens for their Melbourne show and ended up jumping up in their set to sing their single ‘Never Ever’. From there they asked me to come and sing with them as they supported PINK on her Australian Arena tour which was the experience of a lifetime. They are the most talented and genuine people and I feel so lucky to have experienced that with them.
You are clearly a champion in both fields- songwriting & performance. Do you have a preference of which side you like better? Can you see yourself eventually shifting towards one rather than the other?
I am in love with both worlds, they each come with their own challenges and rewards! Recently I’ve been spending most of my time songwriting and then focusing on my own music when I can but as to what the future will bring for either career path I’m not sure! That’s the fun of being apart of this industry. I just hope to be able to continue writing for myself and other artists as well as performing as much as possible. I believe doing both is 100% possible!
Since you were surrounded by music growing up, what was one of the most important things you learned from your family when it came to playing and performing music?
You must utterly adore and love what you do wholeheartedly and unapologetically. Creative industries can be challenging and a lot of hard work but as long as you believe in yourself 100% you can not fail. Self-belief is step 1!!
You’ve been spending some time in North America lately; Can you distinguish and significant differences between the music industry in the US as opposed to AU whether it be the people, trends, audiences, etc?
I think Australia being so distant from the USA makes it more removed from the traditional pop world. I find what is popular in Australia is more experimental, cross-genre music given platform via Triple J. Maybe it’s because a lot more songs are churned out through the competitive nature of the music scene in LA, but Australia seems to celebrate and give voice to the unfamiliar. I think there is something exciting and special about both continents that makes each their own.
When you are asked to collaborate with another artist on a project, what are some of the key things that you look for? Is it the size of the artist, the artist’s vision or is it the artist’s sound above all else?
It’s never the goal to chase artists with the biggest number of Instagram followers or who seem to be the biggest thing right now. I gravitate towards artists who are genuine good people to hang out with, who are just as passionate about music as I am, those who have an interesting story to tell and people who share the same work ethic as I do. I feel you can’t go wrong when the writing session feels like you’ve just had a fun hang with your mates and you share the same passion for the vision.
Can you talk briefly about the process of being selected as a recipient of the Grinders Coffee grant? How has that award helped with your career, and do you get unlimited free coffee?
I was approached if I was interested in finding out about the grant and once I looked into it I soon learned it was an amazing opportunity! I’m so grateful to have been chosen as it allows me to fund music production, promotion, travel and takes some of the financial stress away so I can focus on my future goals.
After your 18 month hiatus from releasing music, you are said to be dropping some new material soon. What can we expect from your upcoming collaborative EP?
I grew up listening to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire and a lot of funk/soul/jazz so there’s a mixture of rnb/funk fused with harmonies and pop melodies. The writing process for this was super fun which I hope reflects in the music.
Any words for The Kollection community who is being introduced to your music?
This is probably the hardest question..but all I want to say is I hope you vibe with it and that it makes you feel good!