Janie Bay[1] is a South African singer-songwriter from the Helderberg area of Cape Town. She is currently signed to Warner Music South Africa. Janie Bay began her musical career by self-releasing the album I Remember in 2011. The record generated three no. 1 hits on local mainstream and student radio stations: “Feels Like”, “The Meaning”, and “This Love”.[3] She promoted the album in an acoustic format, together with her brother, under the name Janie & The Beard.[3] The duo went on to perform at numerous venues and festivals, including Oppikoppi, KKNK, and the first edition of the Cape Town Folk & Acoustic Music Festival.[3] In 2014, Bay relocated to Pretoria.[4] In 2016, she signed a recording contract with Warner Music South Africa. Bay’s first major-label single, “Dance”, was released on 3 February 2017.[6] It was followed on 15 September by her sophomore album, Miscellany.[4] The record spawned the singles “Better Off”, “Wag Vir Jou (feat. Hunter Kennedy)”, and “Koning”. The album was ultimately nominated for a South African Music Award in the Best Adult Contemporary Album category.[7][8] Meanwhile, the song “Can’t Be the One” won a Gold Award for Best Music in a Video at the 2019 Queen Palm International Film Festival in Palm Springs, California. Bay’s next single, “Amper Daar”, released in 2019, went on to reach the number 1 position on the Jacaranda FM SA Top 20, Groot FM, Maroela Media, and Joox charts.[5] Later that year, the artist collaborated with rapper Early B on the track “Die Heelal”.[10] She followed up with the single “Jammer” in 2020. On 4 September 2020, Bay released the acoustic album In Die Sitkamer[12] It included some of her previous singles, the original track “Herfs”, as well as a cover of the Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”. Bay’s next single, a collaboration with Danie Reënwolf, was titled “Ek Glo Nog In Jou” and came out on 13 November 2020.[13] A year later, the singer collaborated with musicians Majozi and Early B on the single “My Lief”.[14] Both songs appear on Bay’s subsequent album, the EP Prisma.[15][16][17] The third single from the record, titled “Kalmeer”, was released in September 2021.
