Janelle Headley

Born and raised on the island of Barbados, as a young girl Janelle Headley would grab every opportunity to sing in school assemblies or at church. Composing and arranging also came easily to her; and friends and family still recall the lyrics to songs she wrote when she was six. It was only at the age of 17, however, that Janelle decided Music was her passion. Before then she had struggled to convince herself that traditional academic pursuits were best. Once the decision was made, Janelle made her way to The Kings University College, Edmonton Alberta. There she studied classical voice with Heather Hantke, and was also a member of the Kings Chamber and Concert Choirs. After spending a crucial year consolidating her music skills, Janelle felt a burning desire to learn more about Jazz. So in the summer of 2001 she moved east and enrolled into York Universitys (Toronto) Jazz Program. At York, Janelle had the privilege of studying under the likes of Barry Elmes, Bill Westcott, Bob Fenton, Mike Murley, Sacha Williamson and Sundar Viswanathan. Upon graduation in 2004, Janelle has performed at numerous events as lead or background vocalist, including the Barbados Jazz Festival and the Ottawa Blues Festival. Her performance is always eclectic and breezy, yet warm and inviting. Her voice is richly smooth, possessing depth and maturity that belies her age. Some say that its unmistakeably a Jazz voice. However, Janelle is adamant that many types of music influence her sound. Whatever the label you choose, her performance is an experience youre not likely to forget. Janelle Headley's dream is to use music to inspire, but also as a tool to question, and catalyze change. As a singer, songwriter and poet, she believes the message is as critical as the melody: To narrate my stories, and be able to connect with the audience through lessons learnt, inspiring their own introspection and reflection, would be priceless...This profile was edited with MySpace Help - Profile Creator and Editor MySpace Profile Help! Janelle sings Kindred The Family Soul's "Rhythm of Life".Janelle Sings Chrisette Michele's "Best of Me".Janelle sings I am Yours.Above-- A video clip of the band being featured [Hal Linton's Debut, 2007 Barbados Jazz Festival]. It starts off with myself, then Nikita Brown and ends with Melvin Alick on Drums.