Janet Grogan
Janet Grogan was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1988. In a complication with her birth, Janet’s vocals cords were burnt. Doctors later discovered these burns had contributed to a deep, raspy character in her cry. Thought at the time to be a misfortune, it is now known to be the defining attribute of her voice. A ”mishap” the 26 year old singer is thankful for.
This vocal sound was then nurtured by her Parents vast record collection. Shelf upon shelf of music that would later influence her, not only as a singer, but as a writer too. Among these records; Motown, Soul, R&B, Rock & Roll, Classical, Country and Pop music. Janet credits her father’s fanaticism for The Beatles to be a major influence. The result is Pop infused with soul and R&B with heartfelt lyrics which she describes as pages from her diary.
A shy but energetic child, she was always aware of the passion and talent she had for music and storytelling. It wasn’t until the age of 14 that she built up the courage to sing in public and once the ice was broken, a fever for performance was born.
After a successful audition, Janet attended Ballyfermot “Rock School” in 2006. Here she met many talented musicians which she continues to work with to this day. After Graduating in 2008, She earned a scholarship to Germany’s prestigious Pop music University in Mannheim. She specialised in Pop and Jazz Singing, Songwriting and Piano.
Whilst in Germany, Janet grew as a songwriter and a performer. Attending the “Popakademie” paved the way for her to work with such writers as Pelle Nylén (Westlife, Carrie Underwood) and Chris Barron (Lead singer: Spin Doctors). In 2009, The winning duo of German Popstars, ‘Some & Any’, recorded a song penned by Janet called “Together Alone” which was the 5th track on their debut album. All the while, Janet was performing throughout Germany, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland with her solo music.
However, her most notable co-write to date being with successful German Soul star Xavier Naidoo on his number one song and album of the same name “Alles Kann Besser Werden”. Janet also featured on the track which lead to performances on “MTV unplugged”, Popular European game show “Schlag Den Raab” and Xavier’s 25 date arena tour boasting crowds of over 10,000 people each night. In April 2012, Janet received her first double platinum record for “Alles Kann Besser Werden”. Since then, it’s earned 5 x platinum in Germany. It still makes regular noise on TV and radio and has been Naidoo’s most popular release to date boasting millions upon millions of views, streams and downloads.
Whilst in Germany, an opportunity to travel to Chengdu in China for some performances proposed itself. Janet jumped at the chance to perform her own music to a brand new and excitable audience. This visit resulted in Janet winning a song competition. A song competition that she had no idea she was even entered in. This led to a performance of her song “Pretend” on a national Chinese TV station complete with pyrotechnics. An unforgettable moment for the Artist.
After her stint in Germany, Janet returned to Ireland to concentrate on her own music but never forgetting the passion she had to write for others, too. In 2014, she auditioned for X-factor but her time on the show was controversially cut short when Simon Cowell removed her from her chair in the “infamous” six chair challenge. This resulted in Cowell later tweeting that he had made a mistake. This prompted Janet to try again in 2016 successfully making it to Sharon Osbourne’s house in LA and into the final 6 of her category.
However, Janet’s passion for writing never faltered and she continues to write for herself and others.
