JANET GARDNER: 'I Am Not Rejoining VIXEN'

Original VIXEN singer Janet Gardner has shot down rumors that she will rejoin her former band following the departure of Lorraine Lewis.

Earlier today (Wednesday, May 27),Janet released the following statement via social media: "Just to clear things up…I am not rejoining VIXEN. As always, I wish them and Lorraine all the best moving forward."

Gardner added that she is working on a new album with her husband, guitarist/producer Justin James.

Also today, VIXEN announced that it has already found a replacement for Lewis. The band wrote on social media: "Hello Foxhead Nation! First of all we want to extend a special thank you to Lorraine Lewis. We're grateful for her contributions to VIXEN and wish her all the best in her career moving forward. Secondly, thank you to everyone sending suggestions and to those who inquired about singing for us. We're letting you all know that we have our new singer and we're ready to Rev it Up! Wanna know who? Come find out! We'll see you on the road!"

VIXEN will play its first show with Lewis's replacement on June 21 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California alongside GREAT WHITE, SLAUGHTER and QUIET RIOT.

VIXEN has more than a dozen more shows scheduled for the summer and early fall.

On May 26, Lewis released the following statement via her social media: "VIXEN Tribe and devoted fans: The band has taken a different direction, and as much as I will miss you please know that more Rock & Roll from me is on the way!

"It has been an honor to front the band since that first show in 2019 & I am forever grateful for the opportunity and memories that came with it! I've had the time of my life and have loved rockin' with ALL of you! I can't wait to rock your faces off again soon cuz trust me babes, I'm not going anywhere!! I love you."

In a June 2023 interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, Gardner was asked how she felt about VIXEN carrying on with drummer Roxy Petrucci as the sole remaining member of the band's "classic" lineup. She said: "What's the alternative? That it doesn't exist anymore? It is what it is. Obviously, [founding guitarist] Jan [Kuehnemund] will never be a part of it anymore, and I left, and then Share [Ross, bass] left. And the alternative is for it not to exist anymore. So, no, it doesn't bother me. Roxy, she loves playing. So, God bless her. Have fun."

She continued: "There's a lot of bands out there playing with very few, if any, original members. And it's really upsetting to people. But nobody is holding a gun to your head. You don't wanna go see it? Don't go see it.

"I got some messages from some people, 'You need to stop them. They're ruining the VIXEN legacy. Why are you letting them do this?' It's, like, well… I don't understand. I don't understand why people are so upset. Don't go see it if you don't want to."

Speaking about Lewis, Janet said: "Lorraine has always been really supportive and nice to me, always. So, yeah, it's cool."

Janet, who released her debut self-titled solo album in 2017, broke the news of her exit from VIXEN in a social media post in January 2019.

Elaborating on her reasons for leaving the band, Janet told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" back in November 2021: "The summer of 2018 was insane with life in general. 'Cause between [me and my husband Justin James], we have three kids [and regular] jobs… And [Justin and I] were doing our [project]. And VIXEN, we were doing tons of the great, the big festivals — we did Graspop, we did Sweden Rock, we did a whole bunch of… Barcelona, whatever… Lots of stuff was going on. And we were still trying to do shows. It was just insane. And I was so stressed out. I literally went to work — my job as a dental hygienist — didn't have time to change clothes. Went to [John F.] Kennedy airport [in New York], got on a plane, flew to Spain. Then we did a bunch of shows. We had a 2:30 in the morning lobby call, and we got to Germany and had to get in a van and drive and do a 90-minute show. I couldn't do that when I was 25. And then a few other times, [Justin and I] had a show and then I had to get on a plane and fly somewhere else and do a VIXEN show, like, in the afternoon. And literally one time I didn't even get a shower. I wore my makeup from the night before on stage the next day. It was that bad. No sleep, no nothing."

Janet went on to say that she is still on good terms with her former bandmates in VIXEN. "Absolutely. I love 'em to death," she said.

When Janet announced her departure from VIXEN, she said in a statement that it was time for her to step aside and let Petrucci and Ross "pursue their vision for the future of VIXEN."

In January 2018, Gardner underwent surgery to remove blood clots in her brain, a condition known as a subdural hematoma.

While Gardner was recovering from her surgery, VIXEN played a show in Durant, Oklahoma in March 2018 with Lewis as a fill-in singer. In January 2019, Lewis was announced as Gardner's official replacement.

Asked if she had anything to do with Lorraine replacing her in VIXEN, Janet told "Trunk Nation": "No. It was totally their call. I expected it. She filled in when I had brain surgery. And they were all comfortable together. Roxy had worked with Lorraine in a different project. Share had worked with Lorraine in a different project. So they all knew each other, and I wasn't surprised at all that that's how it all happened. And I love Lorraine — I think she's great. She's a great singer, a fantastic talent, great frontwoman and a nice person. So I'm happy for them — all of 'em."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988),"Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest full-length release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

More than two years ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

Last year, VIXEN released a new single called "Red". The official music video for the track, which was written and produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury, was directed by Drew Johnston and Vicente Cordero and edited by Ryan Conion.