Annandale mural honors local musician

A new mural going up in Annandale celebrates singer-songwriter Cat Janice, who died of cancer in 2024 shortly after one of her songs, “Dance Outta My Head,” went viral.

That song reached number one on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, number 7 worldwide on iTunes, and number 2 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. It also won the Robert Allen Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. 

The mural, located on the side of Annandale Watch & Clock at 4221 Annandale Road, should be completed by the end of next week, says Cat’s mother, Annandale resident Stacey Ipsan.

It will feature Cat singing at a microphone, along with flowers – Stacey says she loved sunflowers and hydrangeas – a night sky filled with stars, and the phrase from one of her songs, “I see you in the stars now.” 

She had been married for just two months when she succumbed to a rare, incurable form of sarcoma at age 31. She lived just long enough to see her final song become a hit and ensure the proceeds would support her son.

Her husband, Kyle Higginbotham, came up with the idea for the mural. It took two years to find a suitable location, says Stacey. Carol Reuss, the landlord of the small shopping strip on Annandale Road, put them in touch with the property owner, who agreed to the project.  

Cat sang and played keyboard in the Cat Janice Band and the 7 Deadlies cover band. She performed all over the area, including the Cue Club in Annandale, Wolf Trap, Farm Brew Live, and the Songbyrd Music House.

Cat Janice was Catherine Janice Ipsan’s stage name. She grew up in the Brook Hills neighborhood in Annandale and was on the Wakefield Chapel Recreation Association’s swim team, Stacey says.

Catherine was homeschooled. She has a master’s degree in geology/earth science from George Mason University and worked as a geospatial project manager.

Stacey is raising Catherine’s son, who is now 9 years old.

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