Some conversations feel like picking up a thread right where it was left, seamlessly weaving past encounters with present reflexions. My chat with Cassidy Janson was exactly that – a warm reunion that effortlessly blended memories of previous interviews, shared moments, and our mutual passion for music and storytelling.
Cassidy Janson, an artist with an extraordinary ability to inhabit both the grand stage of the West End and the intimate space of a song’s emotion, spoke about her highly anticipated concert n the Westway Sessions on 7 April at the Vaudeville Theatre. With her original band by her side, she’s crafting an evening that will be both personal and powerful, featuring a two 45-minute set list of beloved covers and her own evocative songs, including Woman and Charming Man.
Beyond the music, we explored the deeper influences that have shaped her artistry – from her transformative roles in Tick, Tick… Boom! and Beautiful to the creative freedom she’s embracing in her latest project, Austenland. She also shared insights into the evolving role of music in social change, her dream collaborations, and the significance of midlife as an artist – a phase she sees not as a limitation, but as a golden age of clarity and confidence.
This interview is more than just a career update – it’s a glimpse into the mind of a performer who continues to evolve, explore, and inspire. I invite you to join our conversation, where music, storytelling, and the joy of creative expression take centre stage.
Monica: Hi Cassidy, we’ve met a few times over the past five years. In 2019, before COVID and all of that, I came to see you behind the scenes at Man of La Mancha. We did an interview before that. I came to see you there, and you were releasing a fantastic album called Better.
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Cassidy: Man of La Mancha, wow, yes. Better, yes, a single from my debut album.
Monica: And then Miriam from the show & Juliet turned up, and you were both singing “Happy Birthday” to me. It was very special, actually.
Cassidy: Yes, that was quite something, wasn’t it? And it was really nice. I remember it. I have good memories of that encounter.
Monica: I’ve been following your successes, and now I see you have a concert on the 7th of April. I quite like going back and interviewing my favourite artists again. I like your work, your singing, and you are very versatile. You also played Carole King in Beautiful. Carole King is, for me, an iconic rock rebel, really. Maybe we could talk about that. But first, let’s talk about the Vaudeville Theatre performance. What makes this series of concerts so special for you?
Cassidy: Well, the big thing for me is that I haven’t performed professionally on the West End — at least not in a big way — since finishing & Juliet. And I haven’t done a proper gig in a long time. I’ve done cruise ships and stuff like that, but it’s just not the same. I’ve got my original band back together! We met doing Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. They’re phenomenal session musicians, and we all became friends on that show, which is unusual. Normally, the band and the cast don’t cross over much, but in Beautiful we did, just because of the nature of the show.
I had to mime with the musical director while playing the pianist, so there was a lot more crossover. I also wrote some songs with Benet, who was on one of my albums, and all the musicians from the pit played on my album too. I love gigging with them. Not only are they phenomenal, but I adore them. They’re so funny, and they play my music like no one else. You put those guys with my songs, and it’s just a different experience.
We hadn’t gigged together for a while, and we did a short gig for the Battersea Park Festival last year. We just played everything through once, and we were like, “Wow, this is amazing.” So to do a proper two 45-minute shows for everybody at the Vaudeville — I can’t wait. I’ve really missed it. I’ve really missed doing a proper big gig, singing some belting tunes.
Monica: Two 45-minute concerts is quite a lot of music!
Cassidy: Exactly! It’s my own gig. And I’ll be telling my silly, anecdotal stories — things that happened when I was in shows. I’ve got a really good story.
Monica: Oh, maybe I should bring my notebook! I should record notes because that could make a great follow-up review of the gig.
Cassidy: Singing songs that make me happy — that’s a big thing. In theatre, you sometimes have to sing songs that don’t quite fit your voice in the most comfortable way. But every song in this show is right in my vocal range, and I can really let rip. I’ve got some musical theatre numbers, some from my album. I’ll be performing “When a Woman,” which was in the Fisherman’s Friends British film a few years ago.
Monica: Imelda May was on the album as well. I had a fantastic interview with her — she’s so lovely.
Cassidy: Yes! There are songs I never get to do live. But here, I’ll have the time to really showcase my repertoire, and all my fans are coming, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Monica: You’ve played so many roles — Carole King, Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Which role has influenced you the most as an artist?
Cassidy: Good question! That’s a very good question.
You know, it’s funny because the role that influenced me the most wasn’t necessarily the one where I did my best work. It was good — don’t get me wrong — but the one that really shifted how I saw myself as a performer was Tick, Tick… Boom! at the Menier Chocolate Factory, with Tommy Earl Jenkins and Neil Patrick Harris. Both phenomenal.
Tommy had done theatre for decades, and Neil was famous for Doogie Howser at the time — he hadn’t yet done How I Met Your Mother. They brought so much to the table. I was 24, the only woman in the show, playing multiple roles, and I was terrified, if I’m honest. They were just so good. I remember having to pull myself together and think, “Watch these guys. Learn from them.” And it changed how I performed.
I came from a musical theatre background, but they both used a more naturalistic acting style. So I just shut up, watched, and learned. I finally delivered in performance, but I think the director was a bit nervous in rehearsals!
Monica: That makes sense. It was at the start of your career, so it really stayed with you. You also have your own music. How does performing your original songs compare to singing well-loved classics?
Cassidy: That is a really good question. When you’re singing a well-known classic, in your brain, you think, “Oh, gosh, I hope they like my version,” because obviously, millions of people have sung that song. And so you’ve really got pressure, there’s comparison and all that. But if you really love singing, it’s fine. Because I sang “Natural Woman” so much, and it’s very much the show’s version of “Natural Woman,” I feel really confident singing that. It’s like I own that version in my body.
But then the flip side is, when I’m singing my own material, you do feel like you’re sharing a diary entry. Sometimes, not all songs, but some of them are really from a personal aspect of myself. And so when you’re singing them, you do feel a bit like, “Okay, this really is something that happened to me.” You know, you’re sharing something so intimate.
Monica: Ah, that’s interesting. Nobody has ever told me that. I’ve never thought about it this way before. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Cassidy: I like the past element and the present. Okay, so I love jazz. I am a big, big fan of Big Band music. And so for me, there are two artists. One would be Harry Connick Jr.
Monica: You can still sing with him.
Cassidy: I know, but he doesn’t come to the UK much.
Monica: I like him, and I have CDs of his music. He’s also quite a good actor.
Cassidy: He has a phenomenal and beautiful baritone voice. I fell in love with it when I was 10. My mum must have been like, “What are you playing in your bedroom?” Big Band music, like Harry Connick Jr. And then I also, in a similar vein, would love to sing with Gregory Porter.
Monica: He did a huge concert at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. I was there.
Cassidy: I was there too. I have another wish… If I could, I would love to sing with Prince.
I’m a huge fan. I grew up listening to Prince. No one can really touch him. He was a complete genius, not just as a musician, but in fashion as well, with image and clothes and everything.
Monica: I would pick John Lennon. For many reasons, but also for his political energy and activism. I like that aspect of this rock rebel, really. Or Jimi Hendrix. But more John Lennon.
Cassidy: Okay, you just reminded me — there’s another one I like: Harry Nilsson. And he and John Lennon were sort of friendly rivals or rival friends, or whatever you want to call them. And Harry Nilsson’s music is so funny and cool.
Monica: Do you think musical theatre and pop music can still carry strong messages today? Because I don’t see it as much as it used to be. You know, when John Lennon or others in the past were more political — not political, but just rebellious in carrying messages.
Cassidy: I think it’s just that music is consumed in a different way. We used to know who was number one. We used to know who was in the top 10. We’d all be sitting there pressing play and record, knowing what number one was. It was a huge deal.
Monica: I remember that.
Cassidy: Right? We all sat there, listening to the radio. And then you forgot to turn it off and recorded all sorts of stuff! That was fun. And I think we paid attention because we had to. It was time-consuming. It took a lot of our focus. So everyone engaged with it more. Now, music’s so easy to consume. It’s like, “Oh, that’s a nice song,” and it’s gone. We have so much access to it while we had to really fight to get music before.
Monica: Are there any songs in your set list that you feel specifically carry a particularly strong message or emotional weight?
Cassidy: That’s a really good question. I do sometimes get this sudden wave where I’m like, “Oh, I’ve choked up.” Like “Wind Beneath My Wings” – such a classic, almost a cliché. But sometimes I’m practising, and I’m like, “Oh gosh.” There’s another song I did last year in a show called Jerry’s Girls called “If He Walked Into My Life.” That song can almost feel transcendent when I sing it. The storytelling, the way it sits in my voice—it’s powerful. And then there’s “Charming Man” from my album, and that one is tough to sing sometimes because, emotionally, it’s powerful. It was written during a rough time in my life. I’m really proud of that song because it has a strong message.
Monica: I want to listen to that! And then the other one you mentioned, The Age of Anxiety by Jamie Cullum. Honestly, it’s a good title. Very fragmentary, right? That title already carries a message.
Cassidy: Also, it covers the same idea that music has the power, in this day and age, to change people’s perspectives or influence social change. Because I don’t know, maybe I’m stuck in the past, but back then, you had John Lennon. I’m just repeating myself, but John Lennon had “Revolution,” they had “Imagine,” “Give Peace a Chance”—oh my God, “Imagine.”
Monica: I did a choir video with the London Mums Choir, and that went on to the BBC – singing “Imagine.” All the mums singing “Imagine.” That one went on to the BBC because it’s such a strong song. It’s always an evergreen song. But now, I see less of that.
Does music still have the power? You’re very good with your answers. I like you. Very different. You have your own take, you know?
Cassidy: Thank you, Monica. I feel like midlife is one of the most wonderful things that no one tells you about.
Monica: I feel the same. It’s a golden age. I feel like it’s a revelation. I would only like to be younger in body, but otherwise, I wouldn’t change this golden age.
Cassidy: No one tells you it’s amazing. You give yourself permission to find out who you really are, and you’re like, “Wow, this is awesome.” Anyway, do I think music has the power? I do. But the issue isn’t that there isn’t brilliant music out there. It’s to do with the fact that there’s no number-one song that gets played on every station, that every single person knows about. There are so many platforms now. Music is so spread out – dispersed. I think it’s because you don’t have enough concentrated attention. It’s like a rocket being fired into space. You need loads and loads of energy to get it into orbit. Once it’s in orbit, it’s fine – it can just coast along. But at the beginning, you need everyone’s attention on this one thing, and it just doesn’t happen like that anymore. It’s a mechanical issue as opposed to a lack of talent. There are amazing songs with great messages – like this Jamie Cullum song, which you’re going to listen to. And I want you to message me afterwards.
Monica: You’ve accomplished so much. You’re in the golden age, as I am. So what’s next for Cassidy Janson? Do you have any dream projects or something you’re working on that you can talk about?
Cassidy: At the moment, I’m in rehearsals for a new musical. It’s in a try-out stage, so we’re going to do two performances on Monday. It’s called Austenland. It’s based on the movie by the same name. And personally, I think it’s definitely going to get picked up. It’s just a matter of what theatre it gets. It’s just what the West End needs. It’s funny. The songs are amazing, and it is hilarious.
Monica: We need that.
Cassidy: And it’s good. It’s high-quality silliness. We are having so much fun in rehearsals. Everyone is so nice. Everyone is so funny. Each character is so individual, and they bring their own quirky humour to it. You watch them and think, “That’s brilliant.” And they’re working with a great script. The script is glorious.
Monica: I look forward to Austenland, but before that, to your concert on April 7th at the Vaudeville Theatre!