POPCAST EP08 🎙️The courage to break out of the mold! Janice Vidal: More than failure, I’m afraid of staying in my comfort zone

For many people, Janice Vidal’s voice is a gentle, deeply soothing part of their youth. “Big Brother,” “My Love My Fate,” “Leaving Home”… these technically demanding karaoke classics have accompanied countless girls through innocent crushes, heartbreak, and growing up.

Yet when you meet Janice again up close after so long, you’ll find that alongside the warmth and candor everyone knows her for, she has gained a quiet yet unwavering inner strength. From a star who, at the start of her career, barely understood Chinese lyrics and was thoroughly protected by a major record label, Janice has become an independent singer and business owner, bravely striking out on her own and taking charge of her music career. Moving at her own pace, she is redefining what it means to be an independent woman who is gentle yet strong.

From outward toughness to allowing herself to be vulnerable

 

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For Janice, the word “independence” has carried entirely different meanings at different stages of her life. “When I was younger, I saw independence as something quite superficial. It seemed like it meant being strong, being tough, and handling everything on your own,” Janice says with a laugh. “Now, though, I think true independence means giving yourself space and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.”

She believes many people today misunderstand independence as “carrying everything alone.” Yet we were never meant to be islands. For her, having a community of sisters who share the same values and lovingly keep one another in check, as well as knowing to seek support when she’s vulnerable, is a sign of true inner strength. After all, “One person can run fast, but together we can go far.”

 

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On love and marriage, topics the public often focuses on, Janice is remarkably open and confident. “I haven’t dated in a long time, but I’m in a very peaceful place now,” she says with a smile, sharing that her sense of fulfillment no longer comes from “whether there’s a man by my side.” “If I meet someone and we build a family, of course that would be wonderful. If I don’t, it doesn’t mean I have no value. Everyone has their own special purpose. As long as you can help others in society and through your work, that’s something very meaningful.”

Breaking free of public labels and making peace with her body and pressure

Under the entertainment industry’s magnifying glass, female artists’ looks and figures often become the “framework” through which the public judges them. Janice, too, was once subject to media scrutiny and commentary about her body. In the past few years, though, she has taken up weight training and unexpectedly found a sense of mental autonomy through building physical strength. “When I felt myself getting stronger, I became much more confident. I knew I was making choices that were good for my body.”

 

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She says with a laugh that when she first debuted, her accent and vocal placement were incorrect, so she would always tense up while singing high notes, even repeatedly injuring her vocal cords. In recent years, she has worked with a vocal coach to relearn her pronunciation and perform those classic songs in a more relaxed way. In both her singing technique and her mindset, she has successfully broken free from the constraints the media and public had placed on her.

The courage to strike out on her own: “I’m more afraid of comfort than failure.”

Her biggest career “Out of Frame” moment came a few years ago, when she chose to leave the major record label she had worked with for years, despite all the resources it had provided, and form her own independent team. Janice, who signed with a record label at 18, admits the decision came with immense fear. “I was really scared! I’d always been cared for in such a familiar environment. I spent two and a half years learning how to set up a company and handle administrative work. When I finally stepped out, I had no map. I had no idea what I was doing.”

 

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She admits that in the early days, without resources or the backing of a major company, she often felt hopeless and would sometimes cry from anxiety. What kept her going through that difficult transition? “Because I’m more afraid of ‘comfort,’” Janice says firmly. “There’s no growth in a comfortable place. When I realized my vision was beginning to differ from my former company’s, and that I wanted more, wanted to try more, wanted to grow more, I knew I had to leave.”

To pursue artistic autonomy and freedom, she joined forces with two like-minded partners. Now, she has to personally make every business decision and review every budget, and she still sometimes worries about making the wrong choice. Yet she has learned to embrace “failure”: “As an independent singer, you have to be comfortable with ‘failure,’ because you need to keep trying and exploring.”

“Out of Frame” concert: Sharing love and healing through music

 

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This courage to break out of the frame has also become the heart of her upcoming solo concert, “Out of Frame,” in Hong Kong. As she returns to the Hong Kong stage, Janice reveals that everything from the styling and stage design to the song arrangements and even new song releases has been created exclusively for her Hong Kong fans. “Hong Kong is my home. Every time I get to sing onstage, I don’t take it for granted. It’s a gift.”

She hopes concertgoers will leave with more than nostalgic songs; she also hopes they will find the strength to step outside the confines of everyday life – an Out of Frame mindset. “Music has a frequency and power that can heal people. I hope that after the concert, everyone will feel love, peace, and comfort, and have more courage to pursue their dreams.”

 

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From the female voice in “Leaving Home,” wistful and lost in love, to the independent, self-possessed Janice of today – gentle yet resilient – she uses her own life experience to tell every woman: Be brave and step outside the frame. There may be tears and uncertainty along the way, but the freedom to take charge of your own life is absolutely worth the risk.

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