Janani K. Jha
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About
Janani Krishnan-Jha (born October 5, 1998), formerly known by the 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. In 2021, she released her debut single, Achilles Heel, influenced by Greco-Roman mythology, which went on to garner millions of streams. Her debut EP, Poetic License, also received positive reviews from media outlets in 2022. In 2024, she made an appearance in the popular online hit, EPIC: The Musical, serving as the voice of Aphrodite in the song God Games, which introduced her music to an entirely new audience. Later that year, she released her debut album, The Rest of the Laurels, with an accompanying novella titled Katathon. The Rest of the Laurels: Epilogue was released a little over a year later in early 2026, which included a remix of The Judgment (I Think Too Much) featuring EPIC: The Musical co-star TE/MO. Krishnan-Jha was born in the United States to Indian Tamil parents. She 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 focus on her music career.