Interview: Janika of Ouija Circus

 Interview: Janika of Ouija Circus

Conducted by Ash for 109.9 KVLT

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Ash: Tell us about Ouija Circus. Who are your musical influences?

Janika:

Ouija Circus lives in that space where melody and menace shake hands. The influences are all over the place—goth, punk, dark pop, haunted carnival music, things you’d hear drifting out of a radio at 2 a.m. We love bands that sound playful on the surface but carry something sharp underneath. If it feels like it could be sung by kids or ghosts, we’re probably into it.

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Ash: Being from Baton Rouge, do you feel that influences the traveling, spooky feel of the songs?

Janika:

Absolutely. Baton Rouge has this layered atmosphere—history stacked on top of history, heat, decay, beauty, ghosts everywhere whether people admit it or not. There’s a sense of movement there, like stories don’t stay put. That feeds directly into Ouija Circus. The songs feel like they’re always on the road, passing through towns, picking up energy, never fully settling. That restlessness is real.

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Ash: What’s it like having a constant flow of ideas and inspiration from Jake’s books?

Janika:

It’s wild in the best way. The books aren’t just stories—they’re worlds with rules, moods, and emotional gravity. Instead of sitting around wondering what should we write about, we’re responding to something already alive. A chapter becomes a song. A character becomes a voice. Sometimes it feels less like writing and more like translating—from page to sound.

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Ash: What’s the one thing you think is misunderstood about the band?

Janika:

People hear the name or the aesthetic and assume it’s all darkness or shock. But Ouija Circus is actually about connection. About fear, yeah—but also about surviving it, laughing at it, dancing with it. There’s a lot of heart in the songs, even when they’re smiling with sharp teeth.

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Ash: Any message to your fans?

Janika:

Thank you for listening the right way—not skipping, not rushing, just letting it play. You’re part of this whether you realize it or not. If the songs make you feel less alone, even for a few minutes, then we’re doing exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.

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Ouija Circus airs regularly on 109.9 KVLT, where the books don’t end at the page—and the music never leaves the story.