Janie Bay

Janie Bay is a female, alternative rock artist and songwriter from Cape Town, South Africa, with a very strong and unique voice and sound and delivers an emotional and diverse performance which captures her audience instantly. Janie (born Jana Carina Cilliers in Cape Town, South Africa) has been performing since the tender age of 12. When she was younger, she used to climb up on the stage after her big brother's school plays and she would sing and perform to parents and guests. Her parents encouraged her to start developing her voice and at age 13, she started singing at competitions, often winning or making the semi-finals and performed at various shows and events, restaurants, clubs, pubs, and often performed with the popular local cover band, Strawberry Blue, at Quay Four at the V&A Waterfront and around Cape Town. At age 15, she started a band with her brother and his friends called "Third Gear" and they played a couple of shows together and did a music video with a 3rd year City Varsity Student. Some of the band members had to leave the band, because of other commitments and Janie and her brother, Theunis 'Sarge' Cilliers, carried on writing music together. This is where her passion for writing and her unique identity started to form. Janie has recorded two of her songs in studio in Johannesburg, South Africa with the well-known producer and musician, Kevin Leicher (producer & guitarist for Josie Field, Arno Carstens, Chris Chameleon, to name a few), and will be shooting a music video in January for her first single,"Feels Like", to be released in early 2010. She dreams of being able to record a full album in 2010."I just want to be able to share my life experiences with others through my music and I want to be as honest and open as I can. I feel this is what people really connect with", she states. Her music is a mix of light rock to alternative/electro rock. Her influences include a lot of 60's music and 80's and 90's rock.