"The record came out in Finland and Japan, but not in the U.S. There was so much competition in that genre," Janita offers. "It was hard to stand out."
After pouring her heart and soul into her work with Sony's 550 Label, the company underwent some major internal adjustments in 1999. Janita's creative management team changed, and so did the label's outlook on her style of music. They wanted Janita to go back into the studio and record songs with a completely different style than the songs she had spent a year creating for her album. Thus, after a lot of thought, Janita asked to be let out of her contract.
Once more, Janita found herself starting all over again. She worked hard to find another label, but because Janita's music is so eclectic and unique, she struggled to find a label that was willing to back her.
Industry professionals rejected Janita time and time again. "I was discouraged. I had some really tough times," she confesses. "Labels and the industry are not the same as they used to be. I was a risk because they couldn't really categorize me."
But Janita would not let the feedback she had been receiving from the industry get her down. She continued to write music and performed every opportunity that she got.
But then one day, out of the blue, Janita was literally and figuratively hit with a big wake-up call, and her entire outlook on her career — and on life — dramatically changed. Janita was walking down the streets of Manhattan when a piece of scaffolding fell from above and hit her on the back of her head and back. It was then that this Grammy Award-winning artist decided it was time to make music that she is passionate about.
"I was faced with my own mortality — physically and psychologically — it hit me on the head," Janita explains. "I realized that I can't be shy about life, because you never know when it's all going to end."
Janita realized that she was not willing to compromise her passion and style of music for a record label that ultimately wanted to change her. She wanted to write her own lyrics and make music that she was passionate about. "I decided I wanted to make music that I want to make," Janita lends.
- Comment
