Our Story
We don't believe music exists to escape the world.
We believe it exists to help us face it.
The Beginning
Born from need to tell our story.
The Braided Janes were never created to fit neatly into a genre, a language, or a label. We were created by three artists who believed music could be honest enough to hold contradiction — grief and joy, anger and hope, celebration and resistance — all in the same song.
We write in English and Spanish because that's how we live. We blend post-punk with tropical rhythms, mariachi-inspired melodies, electronic textures, and rock because our identities have never fit inside one tradition. Neither should our music.
Every song begins with something real. A memory. A border crossed. A love that changed us. A community fighting to be seen. A question that won't let us sleep. A moment that deserves to be remembered.
Over the years, The Braided Janes have built a live presence across Chicago, the U.S. and Mexico. The band has served as direct support for sold-out Chicago shows with internationally acclaimed artists Aterciopelados, Vetusta Morla and Jenny and the Mexicats, while appearing on major festival stages including Taste of Chicago, Ruido Fest, Fiesta del Sol, Villapalooza and Pilsen Fest.
We don't write to tell people what to think.
We write so people feel less alone.
We believe music can build the world we want to live in.
The Band
Three artists. One vision.
Vocals, Keys & Guitar
Jessica Rodriguez
Jessica is the lyricist and creative anchor of The Braided Janes — a storyteller who writes from the intersection of identity, migration, and resistance. Her bilingual vocals are raw, poetic, and unafraid.
"We recorded barefoot in the jungle, disconnected from the outside world. We found peace in the stillness that allowed us to travel inward."
Drums & Percussion
Juny Alvarez
Juny is the rhythmic heartbeat of the band — a percussionist whose playing draws from Latin tradition, punk urgency, and pure instinct. Her drumming doesn't just keep time; it tells stories.
"Every beat is a conversation. Every show is a ceremony."
Bass, Guitar & Programming
Andrew Doyle
Andrew is the sonic architect — weaving bass lines, guitar textures, and electronic programming into the band's signature sound.
"The music lives in the space between genres. That's exactly where we want to be."
Our Sound
Post-punk urgency. Tropical soul. Bilingual truth.
The Braided Janes exist at the intersection of everything that shaped us — Chicago's punk underground, Latin American folk traditions, electronic experimentation, and the urgent need to say something that matters.
From the NPR-featured single 'Fuego' on their debut album DESPIERTA! to Renacer — recorded barefoot in the mountains of Minca, Colombia with GRAMMY-nominated producer Christian Castagno — every release has pushed further into the territory they've made their own.
DESPIERTA!
NPR Best Latin Alternative Songs — 'Fuego'
Renacer
Recorded in Minca, Colombia with Christian Castagno
A Decade of Work
2016 — 2026
The Braided Janes form in Chicago
Debut album DESPIERTA! — NPR features 'Fuego' as one of the Best Latin Alternative Songs
First MUSAS event — a new platform for queer Latine and independent artists is born
Invited to Binational Artist Conference, Mexico City — Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE)
Binational Artist Conference, Tijuana — SRE
Renacer recorded in Minca, Colombia with GRAMMY-nominated producer Christian Castagno
Corazon Migrante U.S. Tour — 12+ cities, 40 paintings, PBS Adelante feature
La Decima Musa at the National Museum of Mexican Art — two-day Sor Juana Festival
ALMA Artist Gathering, El Rule Cultural Center, Mexico City
Summer Tour — Earlham IA, Chicago IL, Greensburg PA, Sheboygan WI, Sauk City WI
Beyond the Stage
The most meaningful moments have never been measured by applause.
They've been measured by the conversations after the show. By someone saying, 'I saw myself up there.' By strangers dancing together without sharing a language. By young artists realizing their stories matter. By watching a room become a community, if only for one night.
That's why our work has never ended when we walk off stage. We create stages as intentionally as we perform on them. The same spirit that drives our music led us to create MUSAS — a platform celebrating queer Latine women, femmes, nonbinary artists, and independent voices.
It led us into classrooms, museums, libraries, community centers, and cultural institutions where music becomes a conversation instead of a performance. It led us across Chicago, throughout the United States, and into Mexico, where every exchange reminded us that culture doesn't stop at borders. It travels through people, stories, and songs.
We are rooted in Chicago.
We carry Mexico with us.
We believe art belongs to everyone.
Welcome to our world.
Ready to experience it live?
Every show is a ceremony. See where The Braided Janes are performing next.