Janine On Finding Paradise in Pain
- Josh Kitchen
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
By: Josh Kitchen / November 4, 2025
“Everything had been flipped upside down, my heart ripped out of my chest, and I didn’t know how I could keep living.” New Zealand singer-songwriter Janine has long made a name for herself through honest, reflective pop music—spanning introspective ballads to dance-driven anthems her fans can’t get enough of. But a year ago, she faced a devastating loss when her father suddenly passed away.
In this new normal, she returned home to New Zealand to be with and care for her mother. During that time, she wrote her most sincere and intensely personal album to date. Across 16 tracks, Pain and Paradise captures the full spectrum of human emotion—from the euphoric dance track “Happy,” to the heartbreaking ballad “Make You Proud,” to the R&B-infused “Good Vibes.” Janine has been through the wringer, and on Pain and Paradise, she lays it all bare. I caught up with her to talk about finding the paradise in pain, her early collaborations with artists like Pusha T, and how her live shows fill her heart with pride.
Pain and Paradise carries really heavy subject matter. It’s no secret that your dad passed away and this album grew out of that. It’s got to feel surreal and special seeing the audience’s response on the tour—people relating to that and coming to a place where they can let loose and experience those feelings with you.
Yeah, absolutely. I experienced a lot of loss before losing Dad, but Dad was a different beast altogether. When it’s someone you’ve considered your hero and the rock of your family your whole life, it’s just different. I’ve had people throughout my career talk to me about the loss of parents and things, and I was always like, wow, that’s such a crazy thing to go through and get through. And now, being in that situation myself, what’s most mind-blowing is just how many people are dealing with grief all at the same time—and yet how taboo it still is to talk about it.
That really bothered me. I spent so much time trying to make other people comfortable while I was in the most uncomfortable, painful time of my life. It doesn’t need to be like that. It doesn’t always have to be heavy. Sometimes all you need is for someone to say, “Yeah, this is really, really, really shit. I’m sorry.” Rather than trying to be like, “Oh, but it’s great that you had it.” Sometimes I don’t need that reminder of gratitude—I have my gratitude already.
It’s incredible to see how many messages I’ve received from people relating to this project—people thankful they have something they can listen to and relate to. Obviously there are a lot of other themes on the album that came before and after that loss as well. But it’s been special to relate to people. Sometimes it’s hard, because there are moments when I just need to block it out to get through tour or whatever.
I posted a little video recently—didn’t sound great because I was struggling to sing “Make You Proud”—but when everyone sang that “I really miss you, Dad” part back to me, it got me. If the subject matter doesn’t get me, everyone’s kindness does.
It’s beautiful. And it’s like you said—it’s universal. Live music is so powerful. You could go alone, not know anybody there, but if you’re up front with someone next to you, you know you have one thing in common. You’re there for the same music. That’s the foundation, and friendships get built on that. I’ve made such good friends at shows.
Oh my gosh, I love that too! At the end of my shows, I’ll see these groups of people and think they’ve been best friends for ten years—and they’ll say, “No, we just met.” It’s so crazy. I’ve had people form relationships—“We met at your show, we’re married now.” It’s so, so special. I absolutely love getting to see people and sing with them. It brings it all together. It kind of makes it all real—you work so hard on the music and the album, and you can get caught up in numbers and things like that, but when you actually see people’s faces and get to chat with them, it’s the best feeling in the world.
I feel extremely lucky that the people who come to my shows and relate to the music are just the most beautiful people. The energy in the rooms is really special. I’m honestly in awe of them every time, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
And it’s not just a place to feel heavy emotions together—you make music that’s fun to dance to, too. That’s the beautiful push and pull that people are drawn to.
Thank you! With this album, I tried to have a bit more fun—it’s a bit more upbeat. I think people are surprised when they meet me and realize how goofy I am. They expect me to be super serious, but I’m an absolute idiot.
When I was going through my worst times, I couldn’t listen to sad music—I needed stuff to get me through the day. I wanted to create that for my fans too, when they needed an escape. Like, I wrote “Happy,” which if you just listen to the beat sounds upbeat, but the lyrics are very sad. There’s that mixture. Then songs like “Thank You for Breaking My Heart” are a bit cheeky.
Even in “Dad’s Interlude,” which was very important for me to include, there’s humor—like when he says, “It must’ve been a while since you’ve seen a duck—not too many ducks in Hollywood.” That’s life. We’re so pressured to oversimplify to one emotion, but truthfully, you can be all of these things at once. That’s what Pain in Paradise is about.
And the shows reflect that—people are jamming, dancing, crying, laughing. I’ve heard so many say, “I laughed, I cried, I danced, I sang, I had fun.” That’s everything I could ask for.
It’s amazing to watch your growth—your first single had Pusha T. That must have been insane starting out.
Yeah, that was wild. It probably looks like that was when I was starting out, but it was a long time ago—2014. I’d been working on music a while. My first EP, Dark Mind, came out independently in 2013. One of the songs, “Hold Me,” was featured on Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and it went to the top of the charts. Then all the major labels started reaching out, and I ended up signing with Atlantic. They asked who I wanted to feature on a track, and I said, “Well, I love Pusha T if you’re asking.” He did two verses and absolutely killed it. That was one of the big highlights of the label era for sure.
I saw a comment on one of your videos on YouTube—someone said, “I love how raw her music is; it allows you to be vulnerable.” That’s so special. It must feel amazing knowing your art gives people that permission.
Yeah, I’m extremely honored—that’s why I do it. I’m not a massive artist, but you’d think so if you met my fans. They treat me like family. They’re diehard, and it genuinely feels like we’re all connected. It blows my mind that some artists don’t take the time to appreciate their fans—these are people who could listen to anyone, and they choose you. From the start, the people drawn to my music have been like that. I’ve always tried to take my pain and turn it into something beautiful. That’s created real connection. After shows, I stay to meet everyone—sometimes for two hours. I’m that grateful.
It’s sometimes surreal hearing how I’ve impacted people’s lives. Music can heal us. Knowing I’ve helped someone makes it all feel worth it—but honestly, it helps me too. I don’t know what I’d do without this outlet. We hold each other up.
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