Meet Izzy Kay of West Coast Rock and Roll Band, Jane Doe

By breathing new life into their genre while remaining faithful to its most beloved elements, Jane Doe is living proof rock and roll is most definitely not “dead”.

They’re fresh off of a new single release, “First and Last”, and a music video for their track “Bullseye” earlier in 2023. After a slew of singles over the years, their Sophomore album is in the works for a 2024 release. We caught up with frontwoman Izzy Kay from afar to learn more about her and her band, and get a front seat to what it’s like as a female-fronted rock band in 2023.

Meet Izzy and Jane Doe

The WIMN: It’s great to meet you, Izzy, and congrats to you and the rest of the band on the release of “First & Last”! Tell us about the track and what you hope listeners take away from it.
Izzy Kay: As with a number of our songs on this upcoming album, we really feel that it shows the growth of the band from a music writing aspect and the uniqueness of our style. “First and Last” isn’t your typical verse chorus template. There’s more of a linear storyline, with not only the lyrics but the actual composition itself.

You’ve been hard at work on the Sophomore album. Are there any styles or themes you’re digging into especially with this one? What should we be looking forward to?
Expanding on the first question, look for this next album to show a larger breadth of composition. Not necessarily different genres but taking from different genres and adding it to our bouillabaisse of rock n roll if you would 🙂

Jane Doe’s sound is self proclaimed as “authentic… woven from the milieu of rock and roll”, and I love the line in your bio – “Jane Doe is the wave of people who identify with the past but shape the future.” Tell us how you found yourself/your own creative voice in rock and roll.
It’s the alchemy of being exposed to every part of music from a young age. From classical to jazz to heavy metal. And from there we just kept developing the sound. It’s important to try to cast a wide net, especially as a female-fronted rock band.

West Coast Rock and Roll Today

Most of us in the music industry have a picture of what rock and roll was like in past decades… give us a snapshot of what the scene is like today where you’re based (and overall!).

In your experience, what is the community like, and how have the fans evolved over the years?
Musicians were hit really hard by the pandemic and only now are getting back to a serious sense of normalcy. In our experience, the communities in both Los Angeles and Portland have been really supportive. And an even more meaningful part of that has been how the women in the industry in Los Angeles have shown a level of camaraderie I’ve never experienced before.

Are there any other bands you’d like to shout out that we should all be listening to?
Definitely! Shoutout to Brandon Baumann and Plastic Rhino.

How has your identity as a woman intersected with your experience in music?
Oh gosh. I’ll say that Ann and Nancy Wilson’s autobiography highlights some of the struggles they faced coming up as women in rock in the 70s are not too far away from my own experiences. But I do my best to write music that everyone feels they can be a part of. Our last single “Bullseye” was about growing up as an “other” and how one day it was brought to my attention that I didn’t look like what I should look like according to society and my whole perspective on myself and life changed.

Giving Back

Tell us about your collaboration with Hair We Share; what does giving back to the community mean to you as part of your band’s mission?
I had always wanted to shave my head and during the pandemic it seemed like there was no better time. I’d always intended to donate it, but through doing more research, Hair We Share welcomed the opportunity to collaborate. If anyone is thinking of donating their hair – I highly suggest donating through them. Giving back to the community is a big part of our mission. We want to continue to build a community through our art. A lot of classic rock bands came up through a community of their own and our goal is to find ourselves in the same position.

Keep Up with Izzy Kay and Jane Doe