From Virginia native to global rock star, Chris Jane found her inspiration to sing before she could even count 1,2,3. Jane’s mother was a music fanatic whose entrancing enthusiasm was to soon spill over into the young performer. While Chris Jane’s mother was humming away to the hits of the 80’s, Chris Jane was in the background, dreaming of that one day that her very own mother would be singing along to her songs.
Born into a family of musicians, from a mother who wrote songs with her guitar around the fireplace, to a father who was an unparalleled dynamic of a drummer in one of Nigeria’s renowned bands; it was the fate of Chris Jane to discover the universal language known as music, and she’d grow to speak it fluently. Jane recalls the extended hours her mother placed into writing and recording reference records, which would be sent out to the major record labels in hopes of a song placement. It was this drive that Chris Jane had found in her mother, that would steer her compass north, full steam ahead, chasing after her own dreams. With that constant influence she received from her family and the discovery of artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Madonna, at age 8, the foundation of who Chris Jane was to become was now constructed.
With a Caucasian mother and a Nigerian father, growing up to a bi-racial family during this period in time was a test to itself. Compiled with the discriminatory mindset of her small town in Virginia, would only make matters worse. Bullied often by the community because of her ethnicity, identifying with her peers became a prison in which music would be the only vessel that could transport her away from the cold steel bars of racism. One key to her liberation from cruelty was a favorite childhood memory of hers, in which her parents would organize small skate parties in the unfinished basement. Her father would play classic tunes, and her mother would put up Christmas lights and a disco ball, so that Chris Jane and her friends could skate around dancing and singing to the music. Shortly after, Chris Jane would start singing in her school’s choir, and the once disregarded dreamer, would now stand at the forefront.
Her first experience in a professional recording studio came as a teenager when she met her first boyfriend who was a then popular local rapper. “I was asked to stop by the studio and sing a hook for this song they had just recorded the verses for. I still remember when I stepped out of the recording booth and I heard myself on a track for the very first time. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I had chills all over my body and it was at that moment that I knew, that this was what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life.” Shortly after high school, Chris Jane and her boyfriend decided to go their separate ways, and her work with the rap group followed suit. She met a producer from Atlanta, who would help develop her sound. “At first I wasn’t sure what I wanted my sound to be, but I knew I wanted songs that young girls and women could relate to. We put together some demo songs about heartache and breakups, since that’s what I was going through at that time. It really did help me get over the breakup with my ex.” Without much success early on, Chris Jane began to drift down other avenues.
Chris Jane started her career as a professional model and actress. “I started modeling a lot and ended up in various magazines. Modeling was never something I wanted to pursue but I just kind of fell into it. I was featured in Maxim Magazine and FHM. It was around this time I started getting into acting. I found this agent in NYC who actually helped me get featured roles on television shows and movies such as, The Wire, Law And Order, Brooklyn’s Finest, The Bounty Hunter, and The Good Wife.” Appreciating these opportunities to the fullest, Chris Jane was still however, in search of something more. “The music just wasn’t going to leave me.” It was around this time when she decided that she was going to audition for American Idol. After making it past the audition phase and advancing to Hollywood week, once she arrived back home from the Idol experience, Chris Jane used her national television exposure for promotional touring and traveling. Now more than ever, Chris Jane was determined to get back in the studio and start working on her sound again.
Currently teamed up with writers and producers who have worked with artists ranging from Usher to Katy Perry, Chris Jane is finally ready to introduce her sound and her story to the rest of the world. “I want to be a global superstar, not just a singer but a brand. I’ve been through it all, from empty bottles and VIP on Saturday nights to praise and worship early Sunday morning. I’ve gone from my spirits and confidence being on top of Mt. Everest, spiraling all the way down into the deepest parts of the Grand Canyon. I don’t want to just showcase me though. I want to showcase my life, my story. I want my life to be an inspiration, a song that you read the lyrics to as you listen and relate. I want to be a movement, I want to be a woman that shows other women that we have the power to live our lives beautifully, just the way we dream about it. I want people to feel excitement and happiness when they read my story with their ears, by listening to my music. Each day is a new song, where each experience is a line added to it. If I’m living, then that means I’m writing. If I’m breathing, then that means I’m telling you, I’m singing to you about it all. My music is the story of what happened yesterday, my music is the tale of what’s going on right now in my life and trust me when I say that I am writing everyday. I’m living for today. I’m sharing my heart with you right here and right now, and then there’s tomorrow. Tomorrow? Well, I’ve got plans for the future, believe me, I have some plans for the future, but as they say, the rest is still unwritten.”
Born into a family of musicians, from a mother who wrote songs with her guitar around the fireplace, to a father who was an unparalleled dynamic of a drummer in one of Nigeria’s renowned bands; it was the fate of Chris Jane to discover the universal language known as music, and she’d grow to speak it fluently. Jane recalls the extended hours her mother placed into writing and recording reference records, which would be sent out to the major record labels in hopes of a song placement. It was this drive that Chris Jane had found in her mother, that would steer her compass north, full steam ahead, chasing after her own dreams. With that constant influence she received from her family and the discovery of artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Madonna, at age 8, the foundation of who Chris Jane was to become was now constructed.
With a Caucasian mother and a Nigerian father, growing up to a bi-racial family during this period in time was a test to itself. Compiled with the discriminatory mindset of her small town in Virginia, would only make matters worse. Bullied often by the community because of her ethnicity, identifying with her peers became a prison in which music would be the only vessel that could transport her away from the cold steel bars of racism. One key to her liberation from cruelty was a favorite childhood memory of hers, in which her parents would organize small skate parties in the unfinished basement. Her father would play classic tunes, and her mother would put up Christmas lights and a disco ball, so that Chris Jane and her friends could skate around dancing and singing to the music. Shortly after, Chris Jane would start singing in her school’s choir, and the once disregarded dreamer, would now stand at the forefront.
Her first experience in a professional recording studio came as a teenager when she met her first boyfriend who was a then popular local rapper. “I was asked to stop by the studio and sing a hook for this song they had just recorded the verses for. I still remember when I stepped out of the recording booth and I heard myself on a track for the very first time. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I had chills all over my body and it was at that moment that I knew, that this was what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life.” Shortly after high school, Chris Jane and her boyfriend decided to go their separate ways, and her work with the rap group followed suit. She met a producer from Atlanta, who would help develop her sound. “At first I wasn’t sure what I wanted my sound to be, but I knew I wanted songs that young girls and women could relate to. We put together some demo songs about heartache and breakups, since that’s what I was going through at that time. It really did help me get over the breakup with my ex.” Without much success early on, Chris Jane began to drift down other avenues.
Chris Jane started her career as a professional model and actress. “I started modeling a lot and ended up in various magazines. Modeling was never something I wanted to pursue but I just kind of fell into it. I was featured in Maxim Magazine and FHM. It was around this time I started getting into acting. I found this agent in NYC who actually helped me get featured roles on television shows and movies such as, The Wire, Law And Order, Brooklyn’s Finest, The Bounty Hunter, and The Good Wife.” Appreciating these opportunities to the fullest, Chris Jane was still however, in search of something more. “The music just wasn’t going to leave me.” It was around this time when she decided that she was going to audition for American Idol. After making it past the audition phase and advancing to Hollywood week, once she arrived back home from the Idol experience, Chris Jane used her national television exposure for promotional touring and traveling. Now more than ever, Chris Jane was determined to get back in the studio and start working on her sound again.
Currently teamed up with writers and producers who have worked with artists ranging from Usher to Katy Perry, Chris Jane is finally ready to introduce her sound and her story to the rest of the world. “I want to be a global superstar, not just a singer but a brand. I’ve been through it all, from empty bottles and VIP on Saturday nights to praise and worship early Sunday morning. I’ve gone from my spirits and confidence being on top of Mt. Everest, spiraling all the way down into the deepest parts of the Grand Canyon. I don’t want to just showcase me though. I want to showcase my life, my story. I want my life to be an inspiration, a song that you read the lyrics to as you listen and relate. I want to be a movement, I want to be a woman that shows other women that we have the power to live our lives beautifully, just the way we dream about it. I want people to feel excitement and happiness when they read my story with their ears, by listening to my music. Each day is a new song, where each experience is a line added to it. If I’m living, then that means I’m writing. If I’m breathing, then that means I’m telling you, I’m singing to you about it all. My music is the story of what happened yesterday, my music is the tale of what’s going on right now in my life and trust me when I say that I am writing everyday. I’m living for today. I’m sharing my heart with you right here and right now, and then there’s tomorrow. Tomorrow? Well, I’ve got plans for the future, believe me, I have some plans for the future, but as they say, the rest is still unwritten.”
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