Cat Janice, an artist based in Washington, D.C., has blown up on social media for her newest song which could very well be her last.
Fighting a sarcoma — a rare form of cancer — since 2021, Janice posted a TikTok in early January announcing to her followers that she had recently entered hospice. Having no idea how much time she has remaining, Janice released a new song for her 7-year-old son, announcing that all of its rights have been signed off to him.
“Dance You Outta My Head” was released on all streaming platforms on Jan. 19, Janice’s birthday. It follows the disco-pop genre and groove that Janice’s music is familiar with.
Janice told the Washingtonian that prior to the song’s release, she had not spent any money on promotions, but rather that she simply trusted her community of Washington artists to help spread the word. What Janice didn’t know was that her new song would soon go viral.
According to the Washingtonian, Janice woke up one night to the sound of beeping. The next thing she saw was a notification of iTunes tagging her song — it was charting top 10 worldwide and No. 1 in Australia and Greece.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“My friend, who’s a nurse and is living with me at home, tried to calm me down, because she thought I was freaking about a medical report,” Janice said. “But I was screaming at my phone.”
At the same time, her song began blowing up on TikTok with users creating hashtags like #catjanice. Thousands of people posted videos dancing to her song with friends and loved ones.
Janice and her song reached many all over the world, many of whom even came forth in comment sections to explain why her story meant so much to them.
One woman captioned a video saying, “Cancer sucks. I lost my mom to it when I was pregnant with my son … and this kind of thing would have lifted our spirits.”
“I was once a 7-year-old who lost their mom to cancer,” wrote someone else. “Dancing to spread this song.”
Janice, not expecting such a large feedback from the internet, captioned a recent TikTok saying, “All of this because of you guys. I am so lucky to even be alive … My son and I will forever be grateful. I feel like I can rest in God’s peace from all of your love!! Just so wild.”
On Tuesday, Janice posted a TikTok exclaiming that “Dance You Outta My Head” began charting #37 artists on Billboard.
Aside from her music, Janice has been documenting her battle with cancer online. She recently got married to her partner Kyle Higginbotham, who is also a local D.C. artist with the name Footwerk. She additionally keeps her followers updated with her health and what’s to come with her future.
“I’m just honestly so blown away by everyone’s love and how they’ve supported me through this and shared this story,” Janice told the Today Show. “I really do believe it’s a miracle to be able to witness this. I’m just very happy to be here.”
You can follow Cat Janice and her story on her TikTok @cat.janice and stream her music on Spotify and Apple Music.
