There is no question about it. Jana Mashonee has a voice. One listen to her… Read Full Bio ↴There is no question about it. Jana Mashonee has a voice. One listen to her performance on her latest recording, "Stay With Me Baby", will tell you that.

Knowing Jana Mashonee and her music is an incredible adventure that is worth the listen.

First signed to Curb Records, her single, Ooh, Baby, Baby was picked as Billboard’s single of the week and went on to become a radio and sales success. More than Life followed, selling over a million copies on its own and as part of numerous compilation albums. A controversial version of Led Zeppelin’s epic, Stairway to Heaven, came next, earning her the honor of being the first Native American to top the Billboard dance charts.

Exploring her cultural roots, Jana then released American Indian Story, a brilliant concept album that garnered her a second GRAMMY nomination. The video for the single, The Enlightened Time, won awards at major film festivals around the world as well as a NAMMY for Best Short Form Music Video. Music from the album is featured on the Discovery Channel’s new hit series, Flying Wild Alaska.

Her first book, American Indian Story – The Adventures of Sha’kona, based on the GRAMMY nominated album of the same was also recently completed. The fantasy filled mystery-adventure is the uplifting story of the young heroine, Sha’kona, and her journey of self-discovery and courage. Fans and critics alike have praised this young adult novel for its characters, magic and message.

Jana continued to pay tribute to her heritage with the exquisite, American Indian Christmas, an extraordinary work featuring ten classic Christmas songs sung in ten different Native American languages accompanied by a full orchestra and traditional Native American instruments. A critical and commercial success beyond her wildest imagination, the album won her another NAMMY award.

A soul-stirring collection steeped in R&B and gospel roots, New Moon Born brought Jana back into the mainstream spotlight. She debuted the featured track, an emotional cover of Sam Cooke’s classic, A Change Is Gonna Come, at the American Indian Inaugural Ball for President Obama. This was her second performance for a First Family. She sang at the First Lady’s Luncheon for Laura Bush. The song went on to win her an eighth Native American Music Award for Song of the Year and the video took the Best Music Video prizes at the prestigious Indie Film Festival and at the American Indian Film Festival. In March of 2012 she was named Best Female Vocalist by the Rockwired Music Awards.

In December 2012 she co-headlined a show with Sarah McLachlan at Carnegie Hall for a magical evening.

With all she has going on and with a tour schedule that has brought her to forty nine of the fifty states as well as overseas, Jana has still found time to give back. Her Jana’s Kids Foundation has been helping Native youth achieve their dreams through its programs and scholarship offerings for almost as long as she has been an artist. In recognition of her efforts, Jana was named 2011 Woman of the Year for her philanthropic work.

Jana can also add acting to her resume. This year Jana’s new movie in which she stars in, "Raptor Ranch", debuts and will be released later in the year. Her songs are featured in Raptor Ranch as well as in Crooked Arrow, another feature movie released in theatres across the country in summer of 2012.

Those are the facts, but to find out who Jana Mashonee really is, give a listen to Stay With Me Baby. That will explain better than any words could ever hope to.

I Am
Jana Mashonee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tell me who do you think I am boy
And where do you think that I come from
Have you met anyone that's like me
And where do you think that I belong

Your confusion's
Just illusion
Open up your eyes

Chorus:
I'm not black
And I'm not what
I'm not wrong
But I'm not right
I'm not here
And I'm not there
But you can find me
Everywhere

I dance to the beat of a different drum
But the rhythm is the same for everyone
Like the stars in the skies are the shades of skin
It doesn't matter which one I am in

Your confusion's

Just delusion
Open up your eyes

Overall Meaning

Jana Mashonee's song 'I Am' speaks to the varying perceptions people might have about her as a person, and seeks to set the record straight. In the first verse, she challenges her audience to reflect on their perceptions of her - who do they think she is, where do they think she's from and have they met anyone like her? The second verse seeks to dispel any confusion that might exist about her identity. She emphasizes that people's confusion is simply an illusion and invites them to "open up their eyes" to see her for who she truly is.

The chorus of the song speaks to her complex identity. She explains that she doesn't fit into neat boxes like black or white, right or wrong, here or there. Instead, she is a unique combination of different identities and experiences, and she can be found "everywhere." She uses the metaphor of dancing to the beat of a different drum to speak to her uniqueness, but also emphasizes that the rhythm is the same for everyone, no matter their differences. The final line of the chorus, "It doesn't matter which one I am in" affirms her belief that identity is fluid and that everyone should be free to be who they are.

Overall, Jana Mashonee's song 'I Am' is a powerful anthem of self-affirmation and self-expression. It encourages people to be open-minded and accepting of others, regardless of their differences.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell me who do you think I am boy
Can you please enlighten me about your perception of my identity?

And where do you think that I come from
What do you think is my place of origin?

Have you met anyone that's like me
Have you encountered somebody with a similar identity as mine?

And where do you think that I belong
Do you have any idea where I fit in?

Your confusion's
Your state of disorientation

Just illusion
Is not real

Open up your eyes
Be more aware

I'm not black
My skin color is not black

And I'm not what
My identity cannot be put into one specific category

I'm not wrong
I am not incorrect in who I am

But I'm not right
I am not exactly what you consider as correct