Jana Fisher is a New York City transplant and preacher's daughter who self-medicates through confessional piano-based songwriting. "I write because it's more productive than lighting things on fire or getting arrested like other preachers' kids," she says.
Jana began life in rural Ohio, performing at churches and corn festivals. Due to her
family's position in the religious spotlight, Jana did her best to minister by singing
other people's music. That calling changed when her family relocated to the west coast
of Florida and she began songwriting as a means of coping with teenage angst and church splits.
Despite growing up in a pop culture vacuum, Jana's songwriting developed hints of
musical theatre (though she never listened to showtunes) and angry folk (perhaps in
response to the unwavering optimism of Christian radio). While frantically scrambling to
finish two majors in three years and escape the Sunshine State, Jana wrote,
produced, recorded, and self-released her first album, A History of Sleepwalking
(2007), a chronicle of her struggles to be everyone's perfect woman.
In 2009, Jana packed all her worldly possessions into the trunk of the family car and
high-tailed it to New York City to pursue a dream. The city lived up to its reputation and chewed up the naive Bible Belt girl and spit out a more articulate artist. Jana is on her continuing journey of self-discovery in song, soon to be released on an as-yet-untitled EP.
Press
On The Reel - June 27, 2011
GigMaven - April 15, 2011