Inspired by Rockmommy Cat Janice, and the Song That Made Her a Viral Sensation — After Entering Hospice
Cat Janice, a musician mom beloved by her local, Washington, D.C., music scene, is now making headlines with her new song “Dance You Outta My Head“, which has racked up more than 300,000 plays on Spotify since its January 19th release. The success is well deserved — and the song is super-catchy, infusing a cool disco beat with Janice’s warm, evocative vocals.
But the success of the celebratory tune, inspired by Janice’s 7-year-old son, is bittersweet: The singer-songwriter, who last spent two years battling sarcoma, a rare cancer, entered hospice earlier this month after no longer being able to breathe on her own in the ICU.
“Everyone knows that I’ve been battling cancer for a while and I wanted to put this song out, and just go stream it,” she told PEOPLE of the tune, which was initially inspired by a car ride last spring, when she and her son Loren were “bopping around” and enjoying the warm weather streaming through the windows.
A short time later, Janice entered a songwriting competition that connected her with Tony Award-nominated composer and lyricist Max Vernon, she told Washingtonian. With his help, they easily won the contest. Janice hadn’t planned to release the tune — but then had a change of heart after receiving an updated diagnosis.
“I had this moment of, well, there was this song I started, with me and my son,” Janice told Washingtonian. “And if I’m not gonna be here in a couple weeks, I wanna put something out and do a final farewell.”
What happened next was something of a miracle.
Shortly after the song’s release on January 19th, Janice awoke from her hospice bed at her parents’ home to the beeping of a medical device, Washingtonian reported. After checking her phone, she was shocked to see a notification from iTunes tagging her to announce that “Dance You Outta My Head” was charting top 10 worldwide (Janice has transferred her catalogue songs to her son Loren’s name, to ensure all proceeds from her music would reach him).
Watching TikTok videos of Janice singing and playing music on her keyboard and perform in front of thousands at a SOJA concert this past summer, I only wish I’d heard her music sooner. Listening to her other singles on iTunes, it’s clear her talent is both rare and incredible— and I don’t say that lightly. As a Washington, D.C., native, and fellow rockmommy, the news of her struggles and success truly hits home.
I urge everyone to follow her on TikTok and Instagram, download or stream her catalogue of amazing music, and (especially) dance the night away like there’s no tomorrow.
Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.
