Finding Your Confidence

0:00 Following up on social medias right now because with Instagram, I had to start completely over and get a brand new page. But at night, I did end up going to the studio and recording. All right, y 'all, we are tuned in for another episode of Bankedoutt Radio Show. I'm your host. And I have here this Friday evening is actually Halloween at the time of this recording. But I have via Zoom, Janaya J. who recently did an overlooked and underrated found a video so over it through was a Bart Law's Facebook page. So Janya, welcome to the platform. Thank you. Thank you. I do have a question on how you found me on Bart's Facebook page. Was it a video or what was it? Did I comment on something? I think it was uh, no, it was actually

1:35 that particular video. So I went over to YouTube So when I do like the overlooking on the reddit, I started shooting my second season with it I like to go to the artist YouTube page Yeah, when I one it's easy to scream record but then too I like to just direct the people to the actual artist page You know so that way y 'all can get y 'alls Brand and artistry out there and people will be directly linked to you as opposed to you know be somebody else's page someone else's page is cool, but at the end of the day, you know, I've been doing this a long time like as far as the music industry stuff since 2005 so Yeah, I've always been an advocate for independent artists and Just pointing people in their direction because you need all the exposure and resources and everything, throwing it away so people can see what y 'all doing and participate in getting y 'all's career to the next level. So are you in Macon? Are you local with us? I used to be in Macon. I used to be in Macon. I was in Macon years, decades. I recently moved up to the Metro Atlanta area about a year and a half ago. With a June of 2024 Hopefully I'll be packed up and

3:07 gone by this time next year always settled in Since we were talking about it You know, how has the making community been to you as far as like support and stuff like that? support sucks, but My face is everywhere. I can say that much. I have been my networking is like crazy good i'm such a socialite anyway so really and truly everybody knows me if they don't know me they know of me or have heard or seen me you know whatever the case may be but they have not heard my music though it's like oh yeah that girl oh i've seen her i've seen her here but you haven't heard my music though so what are you known for then as far as like you know in the area i mean technically i've been modeling i've done videos Really and truly and I've directed videos. I don't know. I've got my hands to some of everything.

4:03 We're just now starting a movie I don't know. I can't say it's one particular thing, but I can say that music for sure when I go into a club I know two or three specific DJs every time they see my face. They're gonna play my song So and they're playing it constantly when I'm not there. I appreciate that. I love that I'm not gonna lie because yeah, I need I need to be in the loop I'm trying my best, you know to get myself out there with me being so shy so It's already a lot on my plate because I don't really like to be Okay, so explain explain it then how can you be an artist and sing and you actually have a good voice, right? I've listened to a lot of artists over the years and stuff like that and singers as well And you have a voice that would stand out in there a voice that actually carry to where you know you actually can sing. So how is it that, you know, you're not like pushing your talent? Okay, I'm trying to basically make sure I'm a perfectionist. So I'm not going to drop anything that I don't really feel too confident about. That's for one. I have a lot of things that are in the vault right now, but they're features. So I'm waiting on my team to get it correct. And the other artists that I collab with, you get your time together and this and that. When it comes to me working on my own things, I have a team networks for me that get a little bit behind the curve sometimes, but we all got our own lives. So, you know, I would never place a blame on them at all. I just sit back and I wait my turn. Really. That's really

5:35 what's going on. Well, I would say one thing about being a perfectionist. I understand what you're saying, but yeah, perfection gets in the way of progress. That's true. And you know, I've always advocate for because nothing will ever be perfect. Perfect it right. One. There's no such thing as that because we're all human. So we're all flawed from the get -go. We're not a computer We're not you know, on terminus. We're not robots or nothing like that Um, so you just have to get it to the point to where you're comfortable with and then you just have to release it because in this day and age I've seen where you know, the music industry has changed and it's more about people One they won't consume Like they used to or at the rate where they used to sit on stuff. Right. Yeah. And try to wait for the perfect time to drop it. They're just dropping it, dropping it. They don't care if it sucks or not. They're just wanting, or no, I guess, the views. Yeah. And then the other thing about that, like, you know, while you're waiting on putting out the finished product, behind the scenes stuff is killing it. I mean, it gets more views and everything. It does. You know, there's so much content that you can create with it.

6:46 So that's I've been stepping out of my little shell because it really started off with like modeling but then I was like Hey y 'all, I do music too. And they're like, oh, yeah So, you know, it got incorporated into the loop and that's how it really just started But I can't say thus far because I've been in making for two years now, right? So ever since that I've been here last year when I moved well the year before that My first song, So Over It, it made it on the radio, which was, it was a local radio station, but I just thought that was so cool because I come from Albany, and I've been staying at Albany for like eight years. years. Yeah. So they originally I made that song in Albany, that GMG song. All that was made in Albany, Georgia. I definitely have to shout them out, but I never pushed my music. I never really did anything. I did one performance for the very first time in my life at a little country bar. And that's when I just started doing music. So after I moved to Macon, when I did that performance, I ended up mingling with some of the very right people, righteous people that I needed to be with. And basically, you know, they were like, oh, yeah, you need to start doing this. You need to start coming around, come to the studio, do this, do that.

7:56 And eventually I just got in the loop. Hey, y 'all, it's your boy Andreas. Make that radio show podcast host and content creator. If you've been loving this interview and you would like to be interviewed on the platform, click on the link below, fill out the form and I'll get in contact with you. If you are wanting to start. a podcast or even learn how to monetize your podcast which you can in a variety of ways click on the link below we'll set up a discovery call i'll get in contact with you and remember happy podcasting i nominated for a 478 musical award for a female singer of the year which that's that's really major to me because i started off with Singing in the shower like everybody got to understand. I'm just a tiger. I really am but I You know, I'm social so I do what I can I really do. Yeah, so, okay So like what kind of map have you mapped out now? It's now that you're taking it serious now that you're doing things to put yourself in You know the direction that you want to go. What have you mapped out to where you and your team? Can go and be like, all right, we're gonna do ABCD EFG I don't think I've gotten that far. I might be in like a little pending little gray area right there because like I said, I've got the team. Yeah, they're great. I've got everybody that could do specifically this or that or whatever the case may be, but it's just hard getting everybody on the same page at the same time on the same day. See, we

9:28 just recently did a project for loyalty over blood. That music video is like the theme song for the whole movie. I mean for the whole series, one of the songs. Anyways, we did it based off of like this. president. Yeah, me having my hands all up and through. I end up having a lead role in the music video, which was also pretty cool. I did everybody's face makeup. I just feel like that came together very swiftly. This was also last minute. March for this spur of the moment. We just all collectively came together on this day and was like, hey, yeah, we're going to execute. But I don't know, you know, when it comes down, it happens like this for all of us. I mean, I've got real hope. You got snow, you got bully, you got holy shag, you got pacific. You know, that's really my team members that do the most work.

10:16 Angelhood, that's who I really like. That's my backbone, my actual, you know, support strong system. So really and truly, we all have our time to shine. It's kind of like on a rotation. Yeah, I definitely get that. I'm glad that you was able to participate in it. I actually was talking with Centrail the other day. Yeah, he's such a good video, I love him. Let me tell you a fun fact. What? I was the first one to ever hire Sentrail. Wow. Yeah, he'll tell you. We have a really good relationship. I actually got to call Lockdawg and schedule an interview with him too. Yes. See, we were all out there just this past weekend. We did. We were doing a casting call. Well, a casting experience basically for this new movie called The Cool, the Bad, the Ugly. And it's written by Rio and Shannon. So yes. Yeah, we've been doing this thing for a good little minute as well. Lots of great videos and stuff music and they've been doing so yeah So yeah, I'm glad that you're surrounded around people who've been doing it for a good little minute that way You know how far you can go and you can go and eclipse beyond that as well, right?

11:25 So what are some things that you've learned? That's far about like, you know I'm saying the business of music that you necessarily didn't know that it is a business and strictly that That's what I've learned. It is quite literally a business and nothing else is nothing else It's a simple, yeah, we've got our heartfelt. We've got our touchy. We've got our emotions drawn in the music. And sometimes we might, you know, I don't know, go off on a limb and listen to this, listen to that, do this over here. Think about that. But it's still a transaction. It's a sale. That's what it is. It's like who, who can I get to listen to it or who can I get to support me with it? Who can I get to push it?

12:07 You know, like it's a sale. Yeah, it is. It definitely is. So as far as like, you know, collaborations, you sent me some songs, stuff like that, and I was listening to them. That first song that you sent me with the feature with Big Green, and shout out to him. Like, I know his manager, Jaylene. That's actually my protege. How did that come about? And as an artist, how do you determine who you want to collaborate with? Because sometimes the styles might not match. You're exactly right. So that is such a good question. I feel like well first let me start by answering how it came about I was in the studio now mind you this is had to be around last year. I was still new like coming around Kareem was really cool. He was really sweet to me. Like he never, you know made me feel uncomfortable anything It was just very welcoming and I was like, you know, he's really good He must be what I see in him and me like I didn't know you see what I'm saying So we got in the studio one night And I was just asking, he said, just play me something that you haven't finished. Like, tell me something that you haven't finished. And I was like, I got something. I really do. I got something, but I got to record it. It hasn't been recorded yet. So I ended up recording it that night, you know? And we did it. He wouldn't have finished his part. And we had somebody else do a feature on there. And I just was like, yeah, that was pretty cool. That was pretty dope. It came together really, really well. I didn't really actually expect to collab with him on that. but I knew for a fact it was gonna be good. You know?

13:40 Yeah, so have you actually put that song out like commercially? Nope, it has not dropped yet. Oh, okay, so you sent me something you haven't dropped. I appreciate that. Yep, yep, that one's in the vault. That one is one of the ones that I have not yet released. Of course, we've been doing little snippets and clips towards it just so that people can have it stuck in their heads, because by the time that it does drop, it needs to be nothing but a hit. Nothing less than a hit. So, you know, that's how I... Operate with my music. That's what I love. I love the fact that you actually talk about a hit near thing is very Daniels We don't we don't make songs we produce hit records Exactly, that's what I'm talking about. So I'm gonna play so over it again for the folks who do First time exactly And I want you to like, you know, I'm saying talk about this particular song. So how did it come about?

14:32 How did you, cause I saw where you did a performance for and then you also shot a video for it as well. So how did the song come about and you know, give us some background with it. Well, when I lived in Albany, it was by far I can't say one of the worst experiences of my life, but I tell you what, it made me grow up in a eight year time frame from graduating high school, getting my own jobs, trying to make sure I'm making ends meet. I end up getting my own apartment, got my own car. I had it going on, end up getting in a relationship. That was very detrimental to everything. I even started my own jewelry business for God's sake I did Detrimental to my to anything good that I was, you know doing or having going on But when it came to music It was like music was that one thing that nobody could touch like nobody could take that from me Nobody could do what I do when it comes to music So I was heartbroken one night really going through the worst of the worst With this girl that I was dating and it was just one of those nights. I was like man If I don't write, I'm just gonna die from a broken heart. Like, I gotta, I gotta say something. I'm serious. So I end up sitting in the car that night and, you know, I self -medicate. I'm in the car. It's about 3 a .m. I keep Replaying the song replaying the song and I just end up hearing I'm just like, you know what cuz I really am I am so over this

16:03 shit like I am over it and I made that like and I also thought to myself I'm like, yeah people could relate especially the girls and I end up letting my homeboy here He's a rapper by the way. His name is Deja and really good. He goes by GDB love I let him hear and he was like we're going to the studio. We're going right now and I said I backed out. I said, no, we're not. I got so scared. I said, I literally just confided in you to let you hear this. How dare you try to, you know, make me go to the studio and record it right now. I can't do that. What's so crazy is it. Finish your story. It sounds like we're having a Halloween party right now. She's probably wondering what I'm doing. But anyways, yeah. So I backed out. I did not go to the studio that night. I did end up going to the studio and recording something else that I actually wrote. And so they were all looking at me like he was looking at me like you didn't this not what you're supposed to be in here doing. So so what you're doing.

16:57 And then I said something I did. My very first song is called Closer. Did that song. And that's a really, really sad type of spiritual song. And they were just looking at me and straight. Oh, they were like. You could say you could sing like you could really sing. I've never heard anybody actually come in here and do this acapella like that in one take. And when I tell you I did it in one take, but it took everything in me because I was so I was frightened. I was so scared. But I promise you, I felt like the biggest relief. It felt like I waited all my life to do that. That moment I just so I just you know I kind of rolled with the punches and when I got to making you know They picked up so over it and they just ran with it after that radio.

17:38 It was content content content and nothing What station was it was it 107 .1? I mean DJ Blackjack was either one Yeah, me and Blackjack go back to I'm glad that you was pushed though because as artists y 'all have to get pushed Yeah, you have to get put out of your comfort zone. Yeah, I have I have a thing about like stage fright. I do because I make really soft and sensual music at times. And when it comes to me performing at clubs is very different because I'm coming in and changing everybody's vibe just like that. And it can either go really, really good or really bad, so. Yeah, you know, you can start doing different types of settings. I know a lot of different singers up here and they don't actually do the club scene. They do different type of events where private, you know, get togethers, you know, stuff that calls for that type of feel and vibe. So, you know, sometimes a club isn't always the best for, you know, when you're singing that type of music. Because everybody, you know, let's get turnt up and things of that nature or whatever. That's exactly how I feel like when I went to perform that mic drop in Atlanta for so over it Everybody did a rap song and it was all still and kill him robbing grab and get him until I got up there and Everything changed.

19:04 It was just like I was saying I had to sing for real. So I was just like Okay, you know that was one of those nights where I wasn't feeling awkward about my talent, you know, yeah So as a singer, what singer did you look up to coming up and, you know, wanting to emulate? Aliyah, Whitney Houston, you know, some of her face, Tamar Braxton. Oh, my goodness. Tony Braxton, of course, Keisha Cole. Oh, my goodness. What a Smokey Robinson. We go back to Motown. We love them. I love the Isley Brothers. That's one of my favorites. And this is just me tumbling. This is just me thinking, oh, I could do that or I could recreate that. Yeah, you know those types of things and it really is different for me, too Do you do covers then like will you go out and perform cover songs? I will I have not though.

19:54 That's I feel like it's gonna be my next project I have been working on my valentine's day ep But that is something that i've been trying to make sure that I do at least have a few covers So that when I do go out I can just perform that instead of you know, some of these songs that i'm tired of hearing myself Yeah, I definitely get that now. So, you know put a new spin on stuff too. So i'm like, yeah I think singers have the best career possibilities because there's no age limit to singing Right age limit to rapping which it shouldn't be in my opinion, but there is but for singing There's no age limit and you can do stuff 40 50 60 years as long as you go out there and perform and sing stuff and you know appeal to whatever your base is Then you forever will have something to be able to offer Literally, I like to get in the thick of things when it comes to like the music business side So, uh, uh, so let's see here, your PR or your performance, right? Organization. Who are you with ASCAP, VMI or CSEC? Um, I think I was doing the ASCAP the other day, but I'm not sure that I completed it. So I definitely need to double check that. And that's another thing I haven't, um, actually a hundred percent copyrighted. I have somebody that was doing that for me, but I have not checked back in with them either.

21:10 So I got to search your copyrights online. Yeah, I need to. That's what I was saying. I got to go to the corporate office. You go to the little search bar where it has like, you know, copyrights and stuff. And then you can type in your name and see if it's been submitted and filed and, you know, properly registered to you. Right. So what made you want to choose ASCAP? Because I've talked to a lot of artists like I'm ASCAP because I wrote a lot of stuff back in the day. That's just what they've been recommending. So, you know, whenever, whenever my OG speak, I listen, I listen. They recommend that. That wasn't the only one that was recommended. I don't really remember what the other one was called, but it was both of those two ASCAP and that other one that got brought up multiple times. So I'm like, OK, that's obvious. It's apparent. So let's just go ahead. Well, there's only three of them in the United States. ASCAP, BMI, then CSAC. BMI.

22:03 I didn't want to talk to a lot of people with BMI. The difference between ASCAP and BMI is the board of directors as far as like who sits on it. BMI is more corporate. ASCAP is more active music publishers and songwriters and stuff that make up the board. CSAC, I've only met a couple of people who's in Macon that actually belong to CSAC. CSAC is a third one. It's smaller. They do the same thing, but CSAC you have to get approved. So when you submit your music and stuff or they it's not just paying the fee and you have a IPI number and you know member number and all that stuff They actually have to approve you. So that's the difference between those three So going into it feels like you know, you're building up momentum going into 2026 What do you want to accomplish like for 2026? What's like some big things and some smaller things you want to accomplish? We got a first I personally am trying to get my following up on social medias right now because with Instagram I had to start completely over and get a brand new page, which is fine. I don't mind it. It's coming together, but you know, it's not I'm very impatient, so I don't really like a waiting period ever. But anyways, with that being said, I'm trying to do more content.

23:20 I hope to have more content so that when they come to my page is never boring. Like it's never a reason for you to just be like, OK, that's enough. You know, it just keeps going on and on and on. You're just basically entertained. You're watching movies. You're watching different sceneries. You're watching thing and you're watching behind the scenes. You're watching this. You're watching that. I want it all going on. So, yeah, that's what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping for putting my content out there. I'm hoping to have it go viral at least once or twice throughout the year. And I'm hoping this time to go further than a 478 awards because to me, I mean, we all in my heart, we all want I didn't win, but I got nominated and that's major because I don't even like to buy music out there for real. So that's just number one. But yeah, the whole point about it is I just want to be. I don't know way better than I am right now, even with the radio songs.

24:11 Like I want the whole world to hear it on the radio. Soon as you cut it on, it's almost like a Glowrilla song. Like you kind of hearing it. You're sick of hearing it. You know, that's what I want. So are you shooting for like a major label, you know, signing or what? You got to do it all by yourself. Yeah. I was going to say, let me tell you how big my hopes and dreams are for myself because I know it's true one day. I hope to run or have someone run it for me. I should have enough money that I don't even have to be there. But I hope to basically have my own label to where we have our own artists. And when I say flowing in like water is never running dry, never running dry. We got so much money because we got so many artists and because they're all doing so good and because we've all cracked the algorithm. That's what I hope to have, you know. Later on down the line some one of these good days. I'm like it could be accomplished.

25:08 But you know, I would say from what I've witnessed experiencing stuff, you have to remember the other artists. Not all artists work the same. No, they don't. But that's the point. I want everyone to be comfortable enough to be overly confident in their craft. Like, you just, you know, it's beyond. Oh, I think I think, no, you know, for sure. You see what I'm saying? So, yeah. So I'm gonna Let you go because I know you gotta you know I'm saying do your Halloween party and stuff like that, but let people know How can they get in contact with you on social media since you want to build your following stuff and also? Where do you need to go to check out your music? Well you guys can go to YouTube check out my music I don't care to push my music on the socials is really cool to do that and put it in their face and all but I prefer like For it to go viral where it counts like I want you to I want global I want the whole world to see I want International and follow me on everything.

26:07 It doesn't matter what site lemon a tick -tock Instagram snapchat Facebook wherever type in janaya J J a n y a J That's all you got to do. It's gonna pop right up. You're gonna see me All right. Well, I appreciate your time ma 'am. Thank you for doing the interview Um, y 'all make sure y 'all go check out Janaya J as I said, she's a dope singer She really does have a voice here. I need to go to support and y 'all can always support the platform on the various social media Handles as well make that radio show. I'm your host Andreas and this has been an interview with Janaya j Thank you Oh