Janet Kay facts for kids

Janet Kay Bogle, also known as Janet Kay, is an English singer and actress. She is famous for her 1979 hit song "Silly Games". This song is a type of reggae music called lovers rock, which is known for its smooth sound.

Janet Kay's Early Life and Music Career

Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, a part of North West London. She loved to sing.

How Janet Kay Was Discovered

Janet was discovered by Tony "Gad" Robinson, a musician from the band Aswad. He heard her singing at a rehearsal studio. Tony suggested her to Alton Ellis, a famous singer from Jamaica. Alton Ellis lived in London and was very involved with reggae music. He was looking for a female singer to record a reggae version of the song "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton.

Janet Kay's First Songs and Big Hit

In 1978, Janet recorded two songs: "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For". Her most famous song, "Silly Games", was released in 1979. Dennis Bovell wrote and produced this song. "Silly Games" became a huge hit across Europe. It reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, which lists the most popular songs in the UK. Because of this success, Janet Kay appeared on Top of the Pops, a very popular music TV show in the UK at that time.

Janet Kay's Acting Roles

Janet also showed her talent as an actress. She played a character named Angel in the UK TV show No Problem!. This show was created by the Black Theatre Co-operative and was shown on Channel 4 from 1983 to 1985. While she was on the show, she had another popular song called "Eternally Grateful" in 1984. This song also reached the top 100 in the UK.

Janet Kay's Music in Japan

Janet Kay has recorded many albums. She even co-produced her seventh album for Sony Music Japan. This album, called Lovin' You … More, was released on June 18, 2003. The song "Lovin' You" is very popular in Japan. Because of this, Janet was asked to record it again for this album. This version was produced by Omar.

"Silly Games" Returns to the Charts

The song "Silly Games" first became popular in 1979. It appeared on the UK charts again in 1990. This time, it was a new version by Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay, and it reached number 22. A remix of Janet's original recording also spent three weeks on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 62.

Other Contributions and Recognition

Janet Kay also helped produce the song "Missing You" for the band Aswad. She was a founding member of BiBi Crew. This was Britain's first theatre group made up entirely of Black women. In 2003, Janet Kay was included on a list called "100 Great Black Britons". This list celebrates important Black people in British history.

In November 2022, "Silly Games" was named the second-best number-two single ever. This list was put together by the UK newspaper The Guardian to celebrate 70 years of the UK Singles Chart.

Janet Kay was honored with the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in the 2023 New Year Honours. This award recognized her important contributions to music.

Janet Kay's Albums and Songs

Albums

• Capricorn Woman (1982, Arawak)
• So Amazing (1988, Body Music)
• Sweet Surrender (1989, Body Music)
• Lovin' You (1991, Sony Music Japan)
• Love You Always (1993, Sony Music Japan)
• For the Love of You (1994, Sony Music Japan)
• Making History (1998, Sony Music Japan)
• Through the Years (1999, Sony Music Japan)
• Now & Then (2001, Sony Music Japan)
• Lovin' You ... More (2003, Sony Music Japan)
• Idol Kay (2012, Universal Music Japan)
• Dramatic Lovers (2012, Sony Music Japan)

Singles