Cheri Janae - Rewind #Flyah Submission
Cheri Janae is a singer and songwriter from Illinois. Her first public performance was at the age four but no one knew there would be a strong desire to pursue music because she was shy even though people continued to ask her to perform with dance groups at local talent shows and act in plays. But when she earned a music and theater scholarship to attend one of Chicago’s top private universities from her classical vocal performance of Mozart and Gershwin, things began to change. Cheri Janae began singing at open mic nights, hair and beauty shows, and sporting events- which led to such opportunities as a commercial jingle and voice-over, print ad and commercial, a Chicago triple-threat finalist for NBC show Fame, mini-stage production of Spike Lee’s film School Daze, a co-starring role in a TV pilot demo produced by Mike Merrill for That Common Production, and a Sony BMG music showcase at Excalibur Nightclub in Chicago. And eventually, Cheri Janae would begin to write and co-produce her own music.
Cheri Janae fuses various styles of R&B, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin, and Dance music with a 4.5-octave vocal range. She received airplay on college radio stations and weekend radio shows for songs “How Wud U Like” and “I Can Love You”. Mariah Carey, Adele, Jacksons family, Sade, and Missy Elliot are a few of her musical influences. Her producer and beat maker collaboration list includes veteran and new producers from Chicago, Philadelphia, and Caribbean: Get Em Louie, J Blade, Bryan Hadley, Turreekk, and Gee Notez.Lyrically, Cheri Janae paints pictures of various phases of love, club nights, and inspiration from personal experiences. When asked during an interview at the Sony BMG showcase to describe who she is as an artist, Cheri Janae stated, “I’m an artist that brings fun back to music thru storytelling, fashion, and rhythmic melodies like a modern-day Diana Ross or Donna Summer.
Cheri Janae past performances include various venues such as House of Blues, Hollywood Aurora Casinos, the International Music Festival, a 107.5 Clear Channel Summer Block Party, and Sporting events such as an ESPNBoxing Match to name a few. She also wrote on pre-productions with Panther and Individualz of Swizz Beats production team featuring VH1’s reality star and hip-hop singer Ray J, Will Jordan the writer of Nicki Minaj’s and Rihanna’s hit song “Fly”, and Mick Lee who also wrote for commercially successful pop artists. As Cheri Janae looks forward to her journey in the world of music and entertainment, her ultimate goal is to help others feel good, forget their troubles when they listen and see her perform, and inspire other to always keep faith, hope, and love no matter what life may bring.