Finding freedom in her music, as well as success in the U.S., has been anything but easy for 27-year-old Finnish beauty and music sensation Janita.
Janita's journey has been a long, hard road. From the time she was 3 years old, she knew that she wanted to sing and perform, so her mom began taking her to auditions. At the age of 13, she landed her very first record deal, becoming a celebrity in her home country of Finland.
"I was the perfect match for what they were looking for. It was very exciting," Janita recalls.
From there, Janita's career in Scandinavia skyrocketed. At age 14, she released her very first album, and soon thereafter, she was voted the "Most Sensuous Woman in Finland." Janita appeared on magazine covers and popular television shows, and quickly became Scandinavia's hot, young music sensation. She eventually toured the nation twice over and took home two Finnish Grammy Awards.
But suddenly, at the pinnacle of her success in Scandinavia, Janita disappeared. Although she was thrilled with her career, Janita decided that it was time to move to the U.S. and make a name for herself here.
"I had done all that I could do in Finland," she says. "It was the right time for me to sing in English and begin my international career."
So the 17-year-old packed up and took only herself and her big dreams to the Big City. "New York is different than anything else I was used to. It's a hard place to be, but also very motivating at the same time," Janita explains.
She traveled far away from home by herself, knowing full well that she did not have a single contact in the U.S. But nonetheless, 
Janita had high hopes for success.
"I was just assuming things would work out," she confides.
She got off to a good start in her new home, signing with Sony's 550 label about a month after her arrival. She worked with Boyz II Men's Michael McCary, producer David Gamson (Me'shell Ndege'Ocello, Chaka Khan), JayDee from Slum Village, and engineer Jimmy Douglass, who had also worked with Missy Elliot, Timbaland and the then-newly signed artist Ginuwine. With them she created R&B and urban-flavored music. She eventually completed a record, but it was not released in the U.S.
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