Jane Child facts for kids

Jane Child (born on February 15, 1967) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and music producer. Her real name is Jane Richmond Hyslop. She is most famous for her hit song "Don't Wanna Fall in Love". Jane Child is also known for her unique style. She often had spiky hair with long braids and a special nose chain piercing.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jane Child was born in Toronto, Canada. Her father, Ricky Hyslop, was a well-known classical musician. Her mother was also a singer and played the piano. Jane grew up with two brothers.

From a young age, Jane learned to play the piano and sing. Her parents taught her music even before she started kindergarten. One of the first records she owned was the Beatles' Rubber Soul. Her father bought it so she could learn the song "Michelle". She discovered funk music by listening to local bands during family Christmases in Florida.

When she was 12, Jane joined the children's choir of the Canadian Opera Company. She also studied piano for a short time at the Royal Conservatory of Music. At 15, she left school, even though she was a good student.

She found a newspaper ad for a band looking for a keyboard player. Jane joined this touring rock and roll band called Summerhill. They traveled to small towns in northern Canada. She played the synthesizer, piano, and organ. She also sang in their shows. Jane had other music jobs too, like playing organ at a church and piano for ballet classes. She even recorded music for commercials.

Music Career Highlights

Jane Child made a demo tape in Canada. She played all the instruments herself because she had a small budget. A production company in New York City heard her tape and signed her. She then moved to New York and later to Los Angeles.

Jane was very determined to produce her own music. She left her first record label because they wouldn't let her. After many record companies wanted to sign her, she chose Warner Bros. Records. They agreed to let her produce her own music.

Her first album, called Jane Child, came out in 1989. Jane wrote and produced the whole album. She also sang all the songs and played all the instruments, except for the guitar. This was very unusual for a new artist on a big record label. Because of her music style and her strong control over her work, people sometimes called her "the female Prince".

Her most famous song is "Don't Wanna Fall in Love". It became a huge hit in 1990, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also very popular on the R&B chart, which was rare for a white artist. Her earlier song, "Welcome to the Real World," was also a modest hit.

In 1993, she released her second album, Here Not There. On this album, she mixed her R&B sound with rock, grunge, and Eastern music. This album and its songs were not as successful. After this, she stayed out of the public eye for a while. However, she did work with some Japanese artists in Japan.

In 2001, Jane re-recorded "World Lullabye" from her first album. She sold the song online and gave all the money to the Twin Towers Fund. Her third album, Surge, was released in 2002 on her own record label, Sugarwave.

She also sang a cover of Tina Turner's song "We Don't Need Another Hero". This song was for a tribute album to Tina Turner in 2004. More recently, Jane Child provided vocals for cover songs in the Just Dance video games. She worked on Just Dance 2016 and Just Dance 2017.

Artistic Style

Jane Child's unique look was inspired by different cultures. She drew ideas from African and East Indian styles. She also took inspiration from the punk movement. Her famous hairstyle, with spikes and long braids, took many hours to create.

Her music was influenced by many different artists and styles. These included Stevie Wonder, the Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Public Enemy, and Mozart. She also loved Indian music and classical pianists like Alicia de Larrocha and Glenn Gould.

Jane was very hands-on with her music. She would spend many hours programming her songs. She wrote left-handed and would sing while writing. She also came up with the bass lines for her songs.

Personal Life

Jane Child married Cat Gray in 2004. Cat Gray is the main musician on the TV show Let's Make a Deal.

Awards and Nominations

Jane Child has received several awards and nominations for her music.

Discography

Jane Child has released several albums and singles throughout her career.

Albums

• Jane Child (1989)
• Here Not There (1993)
• Surge (2002)
• Surge Remixed (2002)

Singles

• "Welcome to the Real World" (1989)
• "Don't Wanna Fall in Love" (1990)
• "Mona Lisa Smiles" (1992)
• "Here Not There" (1993)
• "Do Whatcha Do" (1993)
• "Perfect Love" (1993)
• "All I Do" (1994)
• "World Lullabye 2001" (2001)
• "Almost Beautiful" (2001)
• "Nice Day" (2002)
• "Maybe Tomorrow" (1998) (as featured artist with Tomohiko Nishimura)