Janet Kay facts for kids

Janet Kay Bogle MBE was born on January 17, 1958. She is an English actress and singer. Janet Kay is most famous for her 1979 hit song "Silly Games". This song is a classic example of lovers rock, a smooth and romantic style of reggae music.

Janet Kay's Early Life and Music Career

Janet Kay Bogle grew up in Willesden, a part of North West London. She loved to sing. One day, while singing at a rehearsal studio, she was noticed by Tony "Gad" Robinson. He was the keyboard player for the band Aswad.

Tony "Gad" told Alton Ellis about Janet. Alton Ellis was a well-known rocksteady singer from Jamaica who lived in London. He was looking for a female singer to record a reggae version of the song "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton. This was a big chance for Janet.

Breaking Through with "Silly Games"

In 1978, Janet Kay recorded some songs like "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For". Then, in 1979, she released "Silly Games". This song was written and produced by Dennis Bovell. "Silly Games" quickly 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 "Silly Games" was so popular, Janet Kay got to perform on Top of the Pops. This was a very famous TV show in the UK that featured popular music artists.

Acting and Other Hits

Janet Kay also showed her talent as an actress. She played a character named Angel in a British TV show called No Problem!. This show was on Channel 4 from 1983 to 1985. While she was on the show, she had another club hit song called "Eternally Grateful" in 1984. This song also made it into the top 100 songs in the UK.

Music in Japan and Later Career

Janet Kay's song "Lovin' You" became very popular in Japan. Because of this, she was asked to record it again for her seventh album. This album, called Lovin' You … More, was released in Japan on June 18, 2003. The new version of "Lovin' You" on this album was produced by Omar.

"Silly Games" was a hit in 1979, but it also returned to the charts later. In 1990, a new version was released by Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay. This version reached number 22 on the UK charts. A remix of Janet Kay's original "Silly Games" also spent three weeks on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 62.

Janet Kay also helped produce a song called "Missing You" for the band Aswad. She was also one of the first members of BiBi Crew. This was Britain's first theater group made up only of Black women.

In 2003, Janet Kay was named one of the "100 Great Black Britons". This list celebrates important Black people in British history. In November 2022, "Silly Games" was chosen as the second-best number two single in a list by the UK newspaper The Guardian. This was to celebrate 70 years of the UK Singles Chart.

In 2023, Janet Kay received a special honor. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours. This award was given to her for her great contributions to music.

Janet Kay's Albums and Songs

Janet Kay has released many albums and singles throughout her career. Here are some of them:

Albums

• Capricorn Woman (1982)
• So Amazing (1988)
• Sweet Surrender (1989)
• 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