Beyond the Stage
Music as a Force for Change
From the Corazon Migrante U.S. Tour to La Decima Musa at the National Museum of Mexican Art — The Braided Janes carry a simple truth: music can heal, unite, and move us toward justice, across borders, identities, and generations.
Our Mission
Art rooted in justice, identity, and community
The Braided Janes have always understood that music is more than sound — it is a vehicle for social change. Recognized by NPR, PBS, and Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE), the band has spent over a decade building cultural bridges between Chicago, Latin America, and immigrant communities across the United States. Every tour, every event, every series they create is an act of advocacy.
2023 — Chicago
MUSAS Fest
Noche de Musas II: Fiestas Patrias
MUSAS Fest was the largest event The Braided Janes had ever produced — a full-scale multidisciplinary festival celebrating Latine identity, queer joy, and artistic freedom. The night featured a sustainable fashion show, mariachi, spoken word, visual art installations, and headliner Nina Dioz. Hundreds of community members packed the venue for an evening that proved what MUSAS had always believed: that Latine and queer artists deserve a stage as big as their vision.
Commissioned Work
Dreamers
A Song Written for the Undocumented
A song commissioned to honor the resilience, courage, and humanity of the undocumented community.
The Braided Janes were commissioned to write Dreamers — an original song created specifically to honor DACA recipients, TPS holders, and undocumented community members across the United States. The commission recognized the band's unique voice as bilingual, bicultural artists who have lived and told the migrant story from the inside.
2026 — Community Giving
ICIRR Benefit
Donating proceeds of our first show of the year
The right way to start a new year: giving back to the people who show up every day.
The Braided Janes kicked off 2026 by donating the proceeds of their first show of the year to ICIRR — the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. ICIRR is one of Illinois' most vital advocacy organizations, providing legal services, civic engagement programs, and emergency support to immigrant and refugee communities across the state. For a band whose music has always centered the migrant experience, giving back to the organization on the front lines felt like the only right way to start the year.
December Showcase
OCAD Benefit Showcase
Raising funds for the Organization of Chinese Americans — Chicago
Solidarity has no borders.
In December, The Braided Janes took part in a community benefit showcase to help raise funds for OCAD (Organization Communities Against Deportation — Chicago). The performance was a reminder that solidarity crosses every cultural boundary — that the same spirit driving the band's advocacy for immigrant and Latine communities extends to standing alongside other communities fighting for visibility, equity, and belonging.
Timeline
A decade of impact
Summer Tour 2026
The band hits the road again with stops in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — continuing to bring their bilingual post-punk sound and community-centered mission to new audiences across the Midwest and beyond.
Mexico City Debut — El Rule
The Braided Janes made their first full-band performance in Mexico City at El Rule cultural center during the ALMA Artist Gathering — a milestone homecoming that connected the band's Chicago roots to their Mexican heritage on home soil.
La Décima Musa — National Museum of Mexican Art
Invited by the National Museum of Mexican Art to produce an official Sor Juana Festival event, La Décima Musa was a two-day multidisciplinary experience honoring the 17th-century poet and feminist icon — featuring live performance, poetry, a sustainable fashion show, and community workshops.
Corazón Migrante U.S. Tour
The band's first-ever U.S. tour launched at CECUT (Centro Cultural Tijuana) and traveled to 12+ cities including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Atlanta — bringing 40 original paintings, sculptures, a fashion show, and live music to immigrant communities across the country. Later documented on PBS Adelante, Season 25.
MUSAS Fest — Noche de Musas II: Fiestas Patrias
The largest MUSAS event to date: a full-scale festival featuring a sustainable fashion show, mariachi, live performances, and headliner Nina Dioz. Hundreds of community members gathered to celebrate Latine identity, queer joy, and artistic freedom.
Renacer — Album Release
Recorded in Minca, Colombia with GRAMMY-nominated producer Christian Castagno, Renacer marked a bold artistic evolution — blending post-punk, tropical rhythms, and bilingual storytelling into the band's most fully realized work to date.
SRE Binational Artist Conference — Tijuana
A second SRE invitation brought the band to Tijuana for the Binational Artist Conference, deepening cross-border cultural ties and establishing The Braided Janes as a bridge between U.S. and Mexican artistic communities.
SRE Binational Artist Conference — Mexico City
Jessica was invited by Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE) to participate in the Binational Artist Conference in Mexico City — one of only a handful of Chicago-based artists recognized at the federal diplomatic level.
Noche de Musas I
The first MUSAS event — Noche de Musas — launched the band's vision of a multidisciplinary platform for queer and Latine artists in Chicago. Poetry, visual art, live music, and community all on one stage for the first time.
NPR Best Latin Alternative Songs
Debut single Fuego from ¡DESPIERTA! was named one of NPR's Best Latin Alternative Songs of 2019 — putting The Braided Janes on the national radar and cementing their voice in the Latin alternative conversation.
Arts Education
Teaching through music
Beyond the stage, The Braided Janes bring their message into schools and community spaces — leading workshops on bilingual songwriting, social justice storytelling, and the power of music as advocacy. Their work with youth connects the next generation to their cultural roots and gives them tools to tell their own stories.
Join the movement
Whether you want to book the band for an educational program, partner on a community event, or simply follow the journey — we want to hear from you.