We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ja’ness Tate a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ja’ness, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Taking a risk for me was really choosing myself, even when I wasn’t 100% sure how everything was gonna work out. I recently decided to move into my own place and fully bet on myself as an artist. At the time, I had momentum, I was performing, building my audience, dropping music, but it still didn’t feel “secure” yet.

And I’m not gonna lie, that was scary.

Because on paper, it would’ve made more sense to wait. Wait until the money felt more consistent, wait until everything looked perfect. But I had to be honest with myself… I’ve always been the type to wait until things feel safe, and I realized if I kept doing that, I’d never actually step into the life I say I want.

So I took the risk anyway.

I chose to create an environment where I had no choice but to show up for myself. And ever since then, I’ve been moving different. More focused, more disciplined, and more locked in on my vision. I’ve been performing, creating, and pushing myself in ways I probably wouldn’t have if I stayed comfortable.

It didn’t take the fear away, but it changed how I see it. Now I know fear doesn’t mean stop, it usually means I’m getting closer to something real.

I realized I wasn’t waiting on the opportunity anymore… I am the opportunity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m Ja’ness, an Indie R&B and alt-pop artist from DC. My music lives in that space between soft and strong, it’s emotional, honest, but still has an edge. I pull a lot from real experiences, especially around relationships, independence, and learning how to choose myself.

I started making music as a way to process things, but over time I realized it was connecting with other people too. That’s when I knew I wanted to take it seriously and build something bigger around it.

Right now, I’m focused on creating music, performing, and building my world as an artist. For me, it’s not just about songs, it’s about storytelling, visuals, and creating something people can feel and see themselves in.

I think what sets me apart is how intentional I am. I’m not trying to fit into a box, I’m building my own lane where vulnerability and confidence can exist at the same time. I honestly feel like a new person every day. My mind is always evolving, and I want my music to reflect that. It’s okay to change your mind, it’s okay to want something bigger, better, new. It’s okay to want it all and still feel like you want nothing at the same time.

My goal is for people to feel seen, especially in moments where they’re growing, letting go, or stepping into a stronger version of themselves.

I’m most proud of staying consistent and continuing to show up for myself. Every performance, every release, it’s all part of something I’m building in real time.

At the core of everything I do, it’s about evolution.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist for me is seeing people connect to something that came from a real place in my life. There’s something really powerful about turning your own experiences into music and then realizing someone else needed those exact words.

I love when I’m busking and people are just walking by, in their own world, and then they stop. Not just because they like my voice, but because something in the song catches them, whether it’s an original or a cover. I like watching that moment when people forget what they were doing and just listen.

Honestly, it feels like I’m a rose and people stop to smell me. That’s the best way I can describe it.

I make a lot of music around growth, letting go, and choosing yourself, and when people tell me they feel seen or understood through my songs, that means everything to me. That’s what makes all the uncertainty worth it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think resilience for me isn’t about having one big moment, it’s about choosing this over and over again. It’s deciding that even when things feel unclear, I’m not giving up on myself or what I’m building.

And every time I push through those moments, it reminds me that I’m stronger than I thought, and that this is something I’m really committed to.

A moment that really showed me that was when I performed at a festival called Moechella in Washington, DC. I was opening for a band called N2L, and everything that could go wrong… kind of did.

It was boiling hot in the middle of June, and right before I went on, I realized I forgot my guitar cord. My dad and I were running around asking other musicians if anyone had an extra, and luckily someone did. Then, once I got on stage, my wig wasn’t secured the way I thought, so it kept moving around and I started feeling a little insecure.

But I still had a job to do, which was to get people up and moving.

Things finally started flowing, and then out of nowhere, someone accidentally knocked the cord out of the wall and the music cut off completely. Instead of stopping, I had the crowd start clapping with me until everything came back on.

We got back into it, the crowd was singing and dancing, and it actually turned into a really fun moment. Then suddenly we heard thunder. Everyone looked up confused, and within seconds it started pouring. Not light rain, like fully pouring. My makeup was running into my eyes, I could barely see, everything was soaked, the equipment, the stage, all of us.

It was chaotic. We even lost the keys and had nowhere to go, so we were all just standing there in the rain, getting more and more soaked.

And then we just started laughing.

It was one of the most unexpected, messy performances I’ve ever had, but I stayed present, kept my energy up, and connected with the crowd through all of it.

That moment showed me what resilience really looks like. Not everything going right, but still showing up, adapting, and finishing what you started no matter what.

Honestly, I’d do it all over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.janessmusic.com
• Instagram: @janessmusic
• Facebook: Ja’ness Tate
• Youtube: @Janessmusic
• Soundcloud: @janessmusic
• Other: Tiktok: @janessmusic

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Taken and Edited by Jeneesah M Tate.