Meet Janet Mona: Singer/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janet Mona and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet Mona, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m a singer/songwriter/producer, and I grew up admiring artists who were a part of the music-making process themselves. Their art hit harder for me once I knew they wrote the words and hadn’t hired someone to write it for them. Looking around, there aren’t many women in the sound engineering/production world, or at least, not many are highlighted and valued at the level they should be. I realized around age 16 that I’d need to start learning how to mix and master my own music; I had written my songs for years but never been able to lay them down and turn them into tangible songs. I moved to Los Angeles for college, but was always singing and studying sound production on the side. I really pride myself in being a part of every bit of the creation of my music…we are our own worst critic, so I feel like I’m the perfect person to be a “litmus test” for the things I’m about to put out. I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, so learning the business side of the industry and becoming my own manager has been so much fun to be able to apply my current knowledge to. I really feel like artists should try to take ownership of themselves and their music, and the best ones are the ones who care about music enough to learn what else it takes to create it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Janet Mona, I am a singer, songwriter, dancer and sometimes dance teacher. I’m Iranian, a fellow “L” in LGBTQ+, and have never really felt like I fit into any particular “box” or space. I write and sing pop music, but it varies when it comes to influence (r&b, rock, dance).

I started singing when I was young, and the music teacher at school made me sing and try out for a solo in front of the entire choir. He gave me the solo, and while I was nervous, I will NEVER forget the way the audience made my seven year-old self feel. I was hooked, and since then, I’ve been singing any way I can. In school, I was in choir and theater, then began auditioning for outside projects in Las Vegas at fifteen. At sixteen, I moved to Los Angeles for college, but my ulterior motive was always to pursue music. I spent years learning about different DAWs (ProTools, Logic, Ableton, FL Studio), making online connections with people who created beats, and practiced writing.

I began releasing music commercially in 2020. I was finally in a space where I thought my music was ready for the world, and it’s been such a wild ride the past few years. I committed to releasing a song every few weeks, so I’ve got about 50 individual releases out now, an EP, and an album I just released. I perform gigs in Los Angeles/Hollywood and Las Vegas (so far!).

I’m most proud of my process: I find the music I resonate to the most, I write every word, and then I become the studio engineer. I record, I edit, mix, master, handle the distribution, the artwork…every single bit of the process is wholly mine. It feels right, it feels like every song I release is a part of my soul…a part of my story. I grew up relating to peoples’ art on a much deeper level once I knew they wrote it themselves. I value music so much, and it’s held my hand through my happiest and my darkest moments…it’s amazing when someone tells me my lyrics hit home for them and helped them in some way. It makes all of the scarier “independent artist” moments worth it!

I want people to know that no matter what anyone says to you about your art, you need to keep going and persist if you want to see yourself succeed. Success is not defined by any one person, and there is a space for you….there is space for everyone in this world. Your happiness is your success, and that is all that matters at the end of the day. Enjoy the journey!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles has soooo many good spots. The jewelry district/DTLA for sure when it comes to shopping! I used to live in Koreatown and I love the plaza there for shopping as well. I love going to dance classes at Millennium Dance Complex (I teach beginner heels/hip-hop in Vegas and their classes trained me for years!)…I’m always dragging my friends to every single one I take! For food, Stout Burgers & Beers in Studio City (pricey but those burgers are SO GOOD), and the Tacos El Gallito food truck…those burritos are to DIE for.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout my fiancee, Beck, for supporting me always and being my biggest fan. I don’t know if I would be this far without her…people underestimate how important a solid support system at home is. She encourages me to be a better woman every day! 🙂 A shoutout to my best friends (there are too many to list, but you know who you are!) too, for becoming my chosen family, and being there for every step of my journey. From my first release, to buying tickets to my shows, promoting my music and gigs, and just being able to be there for all other moments in life, too…I really would not be here without this group of people!

Website: https://www.janetmona.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetmona/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetMona

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/janetmona

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3jUFueTKWU0b4PfG75zULh?si=EpFqPpO2S7GBKFaFgu-wrw Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/janet-mona/1509656949 Link to my youtube topic to listen to my releases: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7K23zUnpe54ZaP3wOoGf2A Souncloud: https://soundcloud.com/janetmona TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@janet.mona?lang=en

Image Credits
Janet Mona