Janet Ava Owji (born 19 October 1990), also known by her stage name OWJI and her former stage name Janet Leon, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and A&R. Leon began her career as part of the pop group Play, for which she was lead singer 2003–2005. She rose to further prominence in Sweden with the release of her hit debut solo album Janet (2009) and the successful singles "Let Go" and "Heartache on the Dancefloor", both also released in 2009.
Leon competed in Melodifestivalen, an annual Swedish song competition which selects the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2013 and 2014. Her single "New Colours" was selected as the official song for Stockholm Pride 2013.
Early life
Janet Ava Owji was born on 19 October 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden to an Iranian father and a Spanish mother. She is an only child. Leon grew up in the Gothenburg borough Johanneberg and was in her childhood interested in music, theatre and football. She began playing the violin at the age of four and arranged performances of songs together with her friends while in kindergarten.
Leon began participating in talent shows as a singer at the age of seven; one of her earliest stage appearances was performing Spice Girls songs alongside some of her friends at a school talent show. She also began writing her own songs at around the age of 8. In her youth, Leon and some of her friends were part of a blues band called "Walking Spanish" which performed at various music festivals in Sweden.
Leon's musical idols and inspirations include Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.
Career
2003–2005: Member of Play
Leon's professional music career began in 2003 when she at the age of 13 joined the Swedish pop group Play as lead singer in December 2003. She replaced the band's former lead singer, then 16-year-old Faye Hamlin, who left to finish her studies at school. Leon became acquintaned to the members of the band through her relatives and was recruited after sending in a demo to the band's manager, Laila Bagge. Bagge called back almost immediately after receiving the demo and travelled to Gothenburg the next day to hear Leon perform in person and ask her about her life goals. Leon was officially announced as part of Play in a press release on 15 December 2003.
Leon's first album with Play (and the group's third studio album overall), Don't Stop the Music, was released on 9 March 2004 but turned out to be a commercial failure. In the summer of 2004, Play went on a tour in the United States. The group were accompanied by some of their parents as well as a teacher in order to not fall behind in school. Play performed together with various artists during the tour, including Aaron Carter and Destiny's Child; Leon also had a dinner with her idol Beyoncé.
Play's next album, the Christmas-themed Play Around the Christmas, released in November 2004 and also failed to chart. In 2005 the group then released a compilation of hits, Girl's Mind, though only songs from Hamlin's time as lead singer were featured. In September 2005, Play announced an indefinite hiatus. Play was later briefly reformed 2009–2011, though Leon did not rejoin the group.
2005–2011: Early solo career, debut album
After the breakup of Play, Leon began a solo career, working towards the eventual goal of putting together a solo studio album. She continued to work with her manager Laila Bagge, as well as producers Anders Bagge and Andreas Carlsson, who had previously worked with Play. Her early solo work included recording songs for the American toy store brand Build-a-Bear Workshop and for Kohl's clothing brand everGirl. In 2005 she also contributed vocals to two songs on the Bratz: Rock Angelz soundtrack. She voiced a fawn in the 2008 Swedish animated children's film Gnomes and Trolls: The Secret Chamber.
In late 2008, Leon was chosen to be one of two participants in the Swedish television show Made in Sweden, hosted by Laila Bagge, Anders Bagge and Andreas Carlsson. Made in Sweden saw the producers attempt to forge successful musical artists; in Leon's case the programme followed her over the course of two months as she worked on and prepared her first solo studio album. The album, titled Janet, was released in 2009 and became a hit, spending three weeks on the Swedish charts. Leon's debut single, "Let Go" (2009), also nearly topped the charts and her second single released later in the same year, "Heartache on the Dancefloor", rose to number 34 in Sweden and charted for a total of 10 weeks.