Cat Janice, the singer who asked her song to go viral for the benefit of her 7-year-old son, has died

Cat Janice, the American singer-songwriter who went viral in January when she released a song about rights to go to her son, died on February 28 at the age of 31 from cancer.

It was her family who confirmed the news through the artist’s official Instagram account.

“This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine entered peacefully into the light and love of her heavenly creator“, the message begins. “We are eternally grateful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months.”

“Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rest in peace knowing she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you.”

The message explains that the late singer’s social networks will be managed by her brother Cubby, who will be responsible for managing “all work surrounding Cat’s music, merchandise and PR.”

Finally, it was announced that the singer left more material to share with the public, but “all in due time”.

Why did Cat Janice go viral?

The singer has been battling cancer since 2022, when she was first diagnosed. The disease subsided that same year, but returned for good in January 2024, severely affecting his lungs.

After learning about the predicament she would be facing, the 31-year-old penned an emotional song for her 7-year-old son titled ‘Dance You Outta My Head’, which went viral on various platforms.

Cat Janice’s intention was to leave all rights from this song to her son as financial support once she was gone.

Who Was Cat Janice?

Catherine Janice Ipsan, known professionally as Cat Janice, was born on January 20, 1993 in Virginia, United States. From an early age he showed his passion for music by learning to play the violin and piano at the age of six. With 14 years of classical training, he joined orchestras, jazz bands and theater productions. At the age of 12 she started writing her own music and later learned to produce it herself.

He has released several albums during his career, including his debut in 2014 and the Southern rock-influenced album ‘Fire’ the following year. In 2019, he won a Washington Area Music Award (WAMMY) in the Best Rock Artist category. Her song ‘Pricey’ was featured in an episode of ‘Selling Sunset’ in 2020. In addition, her music was part of the TV show ‘Redneck Island’.

In 2022, Cat Janice discovered a lump in her neck and was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancerous tumor in the calf muscle. Despite her illness, she continued to work as a geospatial information scientist, studying for a master’s degree in coastal geology and creating her own music. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy to treat the tumor. During her treatment, she worked on her album “Modern Medicine”, which included the emotional song “Wishing I Was You”, inspired by her experience with cancer.

In January 2023, Cat Janice released the song ‘Chill the Fck Out’, which addressed stress and feeling overwhelmed. Although his doctors declared him cancer-free, the disease reappeared in his lungs a short time later. Cat Janice continued to compete and, in the summer of 2023, performed with SOJA at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. That same year, she became engaged to boyfriend Kyle Higginbotham and they married in December, knowing their time was limited.

On January 19, 2024, four days after entering palliative care, Cat Janice released her song “Dance You Outta My Head” on TikTok. Co-written with Max Vernon, the song is about overcoming adversity and simply dancing your problems out of your head.

Cat Janice decided to release the song independently so the proceeds would benefit her 7-year-old son: “I think they’re calling me home. My last joy would be if you save my song ‘Dance You Outta My Head’ on my timeline and in reproduction, because all proceeds will go directly to my son,” he wrote at the time.