Meet Janétza Miranda | Singer/ Songwriter/ Musician/ Humanitarian

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

Hi Janétza, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
“Hustle every day”

I must admit that at times I do cringe when I hear humans say this, so adamantly, with such conviction, out loud.
Now, in no way am I saying do not go after your dreams,
our dreams have no limits,
do everything you can to attain them…. that is different.

Pero, hustling? every day?
No time to rest?
No time for reflection?
No time for yourself?
This is what I disagree with.

There’s a great interview between Quest Love and Trevor Noah. Quest was asked about his experience curating Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary performance on the Grammys. A very very, Big, Big, BIG deal.

At one point things were going horribly wrong, as things tend to do so in life, and Quest locked himself in a closet for two minutes. Everyone around him, freaking out. Thinking the world was over.
He said in the interview that he could hear the madness from inside the closet. Everyone looked to him to have the answer and He needed silence and meditation in order to find the answer.
And he did.
Came out of that closet with the solution and fixed the issue.

That resonated within me because I have several experiences where silence has aided me- even amongst all the noise telling me otherwise.

my main reason for not believing in this mantra is because
Life is short and is meant to be lived.
We’re not meant to be machines, working all the time. We are human beings in these magnificent bodies having a human experience. We are worthy of all the beauty that life and love have to offer us. So why just settle for hustling every day to get some paper that can burn in an instant.

Let’s invest in once in a lifetime experiences instead- like music. Live music 🙂

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an artist who combines the traditions of Jazz, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Bolero, Bomba y Plena, Hip Hop, & More into a remixed sonic delight of vocalizations and rhythmic proclamations that transport you to a space that is suspended in time.

My musical journey began two months after 9/11. I was asked by my school principal to sing “the Prayer” by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
She asked me to do this because there was a school fundraiser that was held every year and she didn’t want to cancel it because of what happened. Dr Leda Reeves would meet me in the chapel every day to practice this song.
Sister June Favata had me sing this song because she wanted me and my voice to console people and also cause them to reflect on what was going on.

I remember this performance to this day because I had to learn Italian for it, and I’m a Puerto Rican girl whose first language is Spanish. My Mom and Dad Sat front row. The Mayor of Newark at the time, Sharpe James commended me on my performance.

I went on to College where I majored in Music Education- my focus on Voice. I learned Opera through Dr Laura Greenwald & Dr Nan Childress. These women mentored me in so many ways- I keep many of their lessons close to me to this day.

Had to leave college cuz I couldn’t afford it. Worked a corporate job for medical billing for a few years and then got laid off cuz of the recession.

So, I Landed a job at a Jazz Spot in Newark called Skippers- i met the most amazing people there, including, Amiri and Amina Baraka, Yvette Glover, Stanley Jordan, Charles Bradley, Victor Jones, George Benson- I learned about Jazz at Skippers and I was known as “the singing waitress” I would bring you your Guinness burger and then Goldie would tell me to come up to sing Billie Holiday- I would always sing my favorite “the man I love”

From Skippers I started getting gigs with bands- James Gibbs Band, I started a band of my own called “Miss Pop and the Bad Touch” landed a corporate entertainment gig with a company that I worked for 9 years. Our band was normally 15-18 piece- with this company bands varied- I also worked with a 40 piece orchestra once at the top of the Rockefeller building where I sang “contigo en la distancia” (Christina Aguileras version) little did I know that the originator of the song Luis Miguel was in the crowd. He came up to me at the end and said to me that my voice healed his heart. I was in shock. Almost fainted in front of the man.

That is one thing that I hear from people after I perform consistently- my voice gifted them peace, understanding, healing.

Which leads me to my brand-

My brand is healing.

It’s not the brand I wanted to create.
It’s a brand that is needed for today because of the times.
realized this via the pandemic.
Everyone was stuck at home so I would play my guitar and sing live on Instagram at 3:33 PM or 3:33 AM.
The Am chronicles hit a bit different due to how much wine I had. Pero all in all it was music I wanted to gift to everyone so that we could get through this global pandemic together.
I would play my guitar 6-8 hours a day during the pandemic.

I am one of Newark’s Talented and hardworking musicians, you can get blessed by my powerful vocals at venues big and small, not to mention the city’s tourism video featuring our honorable Mayor Ras J Baraka.

I have also traveled across the nation for NBC’s “The Voice” (Season 4) where i made it to Top 18 out of 60,000 artists who auditioned- 

I continue to perform on stages throughout our Tristate area && beyond  with performances in iconic venues such as: 

Gotham Hall, Cipriani, Beverly Hills Hotel, The Cutting Room, Carnegie Hall, The Count Basie Theatre, NJPAC Sounds of the City, Latino Americando Expo Milan, Italy 2013 
International Jazz Day Luanda, Angola Africa 2022 & 2023…

My story doesn’t end here, this is just the beginning.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Easy.
Newark.

Let’s make this weird and start our week with Wednesday.
we’re going for lunch at The Yard in Military Park. We’re gonna eat some delicious burgers and have the Walla Sauce. Have you had the Walla Sauce? It’s divine.
Then, we’re gonna go dance to house music till about 9 pm (thanks newark city parks)
Then, we’re gonna kick back on a stoop with some of Newarks finest artists. Chit chat and hang till we can’t no more. Maybe sing some of the saddest songs on Marco Halls stoop.

Thursday,
we going to the Park.
branch Brook. We’re gonna walk all around it- imma show you all the little nooks I love.
Ride a bike to downtown for some Cafécito and hit up Black Swan Espresso or go to Down Neck (popularly known as Ironbound) and hit up Sihana. Get a coffee, a desert-

Then we’re going to NMOA (Newark Museum of Art)

and then We hit up Clements (right next door) for some live music

Friday, we going to eat at Five Corners them scallops is calling my naaaaame and then go to Newark First Fridays at Express Newark and then Bunk.r after to dance the night away.

Saturday we’ll hit up an art show at index. Maybe hang at the park with friends till we get kicked out (which we never do) smoke a blunt or two cuz it’s legal.
Or we’ll just go to a local bar or cool vines and tap out that bourbon lemonade.

Sunday we going to all the brunches. The Yard , Burkes, make our way down Ferry street to Adega for Sangria and live music brought to you by Plusable.

Monday we gonna rest a bit pero we’re going to Plantivia to pick up some necessities for resting. Maybe hit up the park for a festival that Brick City Jam is hosting.

Tuesday we gonna hit the stage together at an open mic:
We’ll hit up the Cryout Cave first at the Kreuger Scott Mansion-
Then we’ll go Evoluculture to catch them vibes-
Then we’ll go to When Women Speak by Dr Ameerah Bilal

And now it’s Wednesay again. Damn that went by fast lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Number 1.
My family. Mamá, Papa Dukes, Neysa, JoJo, Sago, Rafa, Jacob, Marielda, Mamá Marie, Pat, Claudia, Gee, Regine- My Grand Mother in the heavens above whose prayers I still feel everyday.
The love my family has for me is completely unconditional, there is no way I would be here without them.

Number 2.
My chosen family- my friends who have seen me from my first performance to the ones I do today- the people who continue to believe in me and be there for me consistently. The people who show up for me and don’t abandon me when things don’t go their way. The people who love me so much and are always willing to be there for me in the hardest of times when I need them the most.

& Number 3.
Beautiful Brick City/ Newark NJ
The Home I Hail from.
The place that has gifted me the thickest skin I could ask for and even with all that strength I am still highly in tune with my feelings and have the courage to cry when I feel something, Instead of hiding.
Authenticity seeps out of my pores because of my home town & there’s a lot of people out there that can’t say that for themselves.
I realize this today more than ever.
For this reason and many others, I am blessed & Highly Favored fo’ sure.

Website: Working on it 🙂

Instagram: https://Jane.tza

Facebook: JanetZa Miranda

Youtube: https://youtu.be/n9P2aFgblW4?si=9OtQI4FkyT9Gy7p9

Image Credits
First photo taken at Newark Public Library by Chrystofer Davis

Second photo taken by Rafa Mal Invencível in Luanda, Angola

Third Photo taken by Angel Bellaran in Newark NJ the doggo’s name is Ficus, his mother is Jadeley

Fourth Photo taken In Angola at Mama Africas Home as I was teaching the kids a song.

Fifth Foto Me in Malanje Angola- photo Taken by my dear friend DJ Membrana Fernandes Jr

Sixth Photo was taken in Angola during a Jazz Festival

Seventh Photo taken in Newark NJ by Isaac

Eighth Photo taken of Janétza dancing Plena Bomba by Lea Raymond

Ninth Photo is a Self Portrait By Janétza Miranda