Janine mixes it up on the US charts

Janine and the Mixtape's XXEP is out now. Photo / Supplied

Westie hip-hop star stays true despite Atlantic signing

Life has changed dramatically for Janine Foster, AKA Janine and the Mixtape, in the 18 months since we last spoke. Then, she'd not long moved to New York and although she was nibbling away at the Big Apple's unfathomably large music scene, it's nothing like the bite she's just taken.

"I think I was living off $5 a week then," Foster says of the 2013 interview.

She's now got two EPs under her belt, including her latest, XXEP, which debuted at number three on the US iTunes RnB/Soul charts. And she's signed to one of the world's most iconic labels, Atlantic Records.

"It's been an absolute life changer. I get to live a little bit nicer and I get to survive off music," says Foster, explaining that the turning point came when she featured on the VH1 docu-series Love and Hip-hop.

The West Aucklander was splashed across American music publications and websites and at the centre of a label bidding war.

For Foster it was a no-brainer that she should sign with Atlantic, also home to the likes of Aretha Franklin and Bruno Mars. "Craig Kallman [CEO], who put together Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Aaliyah genuinely believed in my music," she says.

"One day at his house, with no warning, he was like, 'Can you just sing something for me?' Out of all the labels I met, the only one that asked me to sing was Atlantic, which I thought was crazy."

Foster recalls another impromptu request in the middle of a meeting at the office.

"It was funny; all the A&R people were looking down at their computers - because they see so many people coming through - but by the end of me singing they were all looking up."

Working with such a big team at Atlantic has been an adjustment for Foster, who did so much of the groundwork as an independent artist. And there have been compromises, but nothing that's meant relinquishing creative integrity.

"Like, I was pushed to do more upbeat tracks on this new EP. I really wasn't sure, but now I love it. I'm really glad I did it."

And she's still staunchly independent, even to the point that she funded XXEP herself, simply because she wanted it heard.

It was a smart move, because at just seven songs long, it leaves you desperate for more. And of that you can be sure. Watch this space.