Janel is a Toronto-based Queer Black musician whose work centers healing, self-expression and connection through sound. Rooted in jazz, soul, and contemporary improvisation, her sound is shaped by her Caribbean heritage and over a decade of performing within Toronto’s creative music community. Janel uses music as a space to honor their ancestors, tell stories, and hold the complexities of their intersectional multi-ethnic queer earth experience.
At the heart of Janel’s practice is a commitment to vulnerability and care. Her debut EP, Journey, explores themes of growth, resilience, and self-discovery through soulful melodies and experimental vocal improvisation. The project invites listeners into a sonic embrace, offering moments of reflection, affirmation that release into existence.
Janel creates intimate, immersive performances that blend meditative sound, spoken word, and improvisation. Drawing from ancestral traditions of storytelling and communal exchange, she approaches each performance as a living experience—responsive, playful, and rooted in presence. Her work invites audiences into spaces of reflection, release, and embodied listening, where sound becomes a shared energetic journey.
An experienced performer, Janel is known for dynamic, emotionally grounded performances across Toronto. She is a part of the BIPOC improv noise collective Teething and has participated in multiple community series such as Afrodelik, Exit Points, Coexisdance, and Audiopollination. Her appearances at major cultural events like Women From Space, Long Winter and Nuit Blanche reflect her commitment to artistic exploration and community-centered expression.
Janel’s Caribbean roots deeply inform her rhythmic language and storytelling approach, grounding her work in tradition while embracing exploration and experimentation. Whether performing solo or collaborating with others, she creates space for vulnerability, presence, and connection.
Beyond the stage, Janel is dedicated to community-building and access. She has worked with organizations such as P.A.R.C., Worth Gallery and Spectrum Soundbath to help foster inclusive, affirming musical spaces, and she teaches privately, supporting others in developing their voices.