They say a mother’s love will conquer all.

Just two weeks ago, 31-year-old mom and musician Cat Janice died from a rare form of cancer. As she spent her final days in hospice, the song she released for her young son topped music charts across the world.

Singer Catherine Janice Ipsan (January 20, 1993 – February 28, 2024), known professionally as Cat Janice — with the help of her TikTok followers and thousands of online strangers — proved the strength of her love. In January, she released her latest, and last, song, “Dance You Outta My Head.” The proceeds from this song, along with all her other music, go to her seven-year-old son.

The Internet’s Response

Almost as soon as Janice posted a reel revealing that she had willed all the rights to her music to her son, her followers on TikTok took it upon themselves to ensure the child would be well taken care of. TikTokers started making reel after reel using her new song, urging others to do the same. 

After all, it’s not every day people get to fulfill someone’s dying wish.

Soon, what started as a TikTok movement took over other platforms. More than 316k Instagram reels feature users dancing along to her bop of a song. “Dance You Outta My Head” has over 1.5 million views on YouTube. But that’s not all. 

She released her song ahead of her 31st birthday on January 19th. Days later, the disco-pop anthem shot up the iTunes charts to #5 worldwide. It was also #1 in Ireland, Czech, and Romania, #10 in Australia, and #12 on the United States charts. 

More miracles followed, and on January 31st, she was one of the charting artists on Billboard Top 40. In an emotional Insta post, she wrote, “I am shocked to be a Top 40 Billboard Charting artist on Hot Dance/Electronic and #11 on Digital Sales. You all did this. You gave me my dream come true. Right when I needed it most. You all loved me back to life and gave me my ‘one more moment alive.’”

“When I wrote ‘Wishing I Was You,’ I wrote those lyrics desperately wishing to have one more moment to scream from the rooftops, and you all loved me so hard and gave me that moment, and I am forever grateful. Whatever God brings my way, I know I am loved,” she added. 

As of this writing, Cat Janice, Max Vernon, and Austin Bello’s song “Dance You Outta My Head” sits at #5 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart after peaking at #1 the week of February 17th.

Her Journey With Cancer

Cat Janice first felt a lump in her neck in November 2021. She initially ignored it, but it kept growing. By March, “it was larger and it was very hard,” she said in a TikTok video. Thus began her battle with cancer.

Doctors diagnosed her with a sarcoma, a rare malignant tumor. For an entire year, she underwent chemo, surgery, and radiation. On July 22nd, in another video, she revealed that she was cancer-free. 

Throughout this time, she kept writing songs and singing, sharing them with her fans on social media. Unfortunately, nearly after a year of living without cancer, it returned and had spread to her lungs. She continued sharing her journey with her followers as she started her second round of treatments.

Unfortunately, this time, the cancer wasn’t budging. In December 2023, she married Kyle Higginbotham, but by January, unable to breathe in the ICU, she shifted to hospice. 

Cat Janice’s Music Career

Janice released her first album in 2014. In 2015, she released her second album, Fire. In 2019, she won the Washington Area Music Award (WAMMY) in the Best Rock Artist category. “Pricey” — one of her songs — made an appearance in the TV show Selling Sunset in 2020. Redneck Island — a reality TV series — also featured one of her songs. 

Since the beginning of her musical career in 2014, she released more than 25 songs. Last year, she wrote “Wishing I Was You,” a song about her journey with cancer. In February last year, she released “Chill the Fck Out,” a song about being overwhelmed and stressed out of one’s mind. 

Soon after came the cancer rediagnosis. After starting her second round of treatments, she released “Modern Medicine.”

Last summer, Janice performed with SOJA at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

She released “Dance You Outta My Head,” four days after moving into hospice. The song is independently released, and all proceeds from it — and her other songs — go towards the education and upbringing of her seven-year-old son, Loren.

A fitting legacy for a true artist.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.