J. Maya

Janani Krishnan-Jha, known by her stage name J. Maya, is an American singer-songwriter. In 2023 she participated in Survivor 45, the 45th season of the American reality-TV competition series Survivor.

Early life
Krishnan-Jha grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended San Mateo High School. There, she was captain of the Mock Trial Team, president of the Model UN, founder and president of the Speech & Debate Club, president/student director of the choir, executive member of the Renaissance Leadership Team, and publicity chair of the Writing Club. In 2015, she received the National Scholastic Award in Writing, which she accepted at Carnegie Hall. She also worked as an intern for United States House of Representatives member Jackie Speier (D-CA) while attending high school.

In 2016, Krishnan-Jha competed in the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships in Austin, Texas. She was named MVP (Most Valuable Punster) of the competition. Shortly thereafter, she began attending Harvard University, where she served as a public service student representative for the Dunster House. She graduated in 2020 with a B.A. cum laude in psychology. She stated in 2023 that she had been accepted into Harvard Law School, but turned the offer down to concentrate on her singing career.

Music
In 2021, Krishnan-Jha adopted the stage name J. Maya and released her first single, "Achilles Heel", which received more than 150,000 streams across platforms in the first three days of its release. Shortly thereafter, she relocated to Los Angeles.

J. Maya's first EP, Poetic License, was released in 2022. The album spawned four singles: "Library Card", "Sunday Crossword", "Machine Learning", and "Three Specters." Poetic License, as well as J. Maya's songwriting at large, has been recognized and praised by media outlets like NME, Good Morning America, Uproxx, and Coup de Main, and by music organizations like Recording Academy.

Influences
J. Maya cites Western literature and Greco-Roman mythology as influences on her music. She also lists pop artists Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift as her favorite musical influences. Her musical style mixes elements of jazz with South Indian Carnatic music.

EP

 * Poetic License (2022)

Singles

 * "Achilles Heel" (2021)
 * "Thanatos (End of Us)" (2021)
 * "Ms. Protagonist" (2021)
 * "Library Card" (2022)
 * "Golden Age" (2022)
 * "Sunday Crossword" (2022)
 * "Machine Learning" (2022)
 * "Slow Burn" (2023)
 * "The Maze" (2023)
 * "Hellbent" (2023)

Survivor
In 2023, J. Maya was one of 18 participants in Survivor 45, the 45th season of Survivor. She was voted out in the sixth episode, placing 13th and missing out on the jury.