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The first story in our Power of Sound series is all about how Bose noise cancelling can help you feel settled by silence. Elsewhere on our website, you can also discover three ways music can make your life better. The following story is about how Bose sound can make you feel unstoppable.
Janay Harding is a rising star in the world of mixed martial arts. She’s been a professional fighter since 2014 and has travelled the world with Bellator MMA, a leading combat sport promoter. Music plays an important role in her life inside and outside the ring. “I listen to music every day, basically”, Janay says. “Whether it’s in the car, at training, at home, trying to go to sleep, whatever it is, it’s music all the time. It really has helped me in my personal life and my athlete life. You can really get your mindset to where it needs to be.”
Janay’s choice of music when she trains reflects her mindset. “Something that I’ve learned is that my style is a little bit different”, she says. “I much prefer to be calm and collected than to be pumped up and aggressive. I think a lot of people see fighting as barbaric. But at the same time, it’s a chess match. It keeps me thinking. And for me, it’s more important to be more mindful and clear rather than aggressive and angry.”
Music helps bridge the transition from training for a fight to the fight itself. “I usually pick and choose a few songs that I really like”, Janay says, “and start creating a playlist so that when I get to the fight week, it’s just all good vibes and all positive energy. I can really use those songs that make me feel good and positive and take that energy into the fight.”
When it’s time to enter the ring, her music is right there with her. Janay says, “I walk in with my headphones. I sit there and I go over the things that I’m good at. I go over positives that I’ve done in my training. The game plan that we have and we want to execute. And then I really just make sure I remind myself that I deserve to be here and I’ve earned my place here, by working this hard. And nobody has the opportunity to be able to take this away from me. The only person that can do that is me.”
When she’s not on the road, Janay calls Australia home. She was born in New Zealand, an only child raised by a single mum—and by music. “I really think music was my biggest companion”, Janay says. “Mum was obviously as involved as she possibly could be, and she really loves music too, so it was just always on.” Around age 10, Janay began studying karate. After earning her black belt and participating in tournaments, she discovered MMA. Once she finished school, she decided to turn her hobby into her career. “I definitely got my self-reliance from my mum and my upbringing, just being independent. I think it’s made a big difference and probably the reason why I’ve done so well in MMA.”
As she’s grown older, Janay has grown more interested in her family history. She’s part Maori, on her late father’s side. Music keeps her connected to her culture. “Music is a big part of being Maori, in our culture, in our dance and in our religion. Listening to that music definitely reminds me to draw on the strength of my ancestors. So when I go into the cage every time, it’s me and everyone before me. And I think it makes a massive difference.”
“Nothing will stop me from becoming a world champion and achieving all the things I want to achieve.”
Her mind is set on bigger things to come. “My dreams are definitely to become a world champion”, Janay says. “In fighting, there is a lot of ups and downs. But at the end of the day, I think I’ve really been able to push through and keep my eyes on the prize. So nothing will stop me from becoming a world champion and achieving all the things I want to achieve in my career. And I think that’s the kind of thing that really motivates me on those hard days, that I will be great no matter what, and I have to really keep that mindset.”
When Janay trains for a fight, she uses Bose Sport Earbuds. At Bose, Mike D’Agostino is a principal engineer who worked on the earbuds, specifically on their sound. “We put our customers first”, Mike says. “We know that the number one reason people buy Bose products is they want great sound. That means every time we come out with something, they expect it to be at least as good as the previous product if not better.”
According to Mike, the goal for Bose Sport Earbuds wasn’t to make something for someone who dreads working out, so they need to listen to something while they do it. Instead, the goal was to make something that could kick-start your workout even if you weren’t ready for it. Mike says, “Our goal was, ‘If I put these earbuds in and put on some music I love, I get energised by what I’m hearing. It makes me start moving. It makes me want to go exercise, or exercise for longer. Or do one more lap or one more set or one more rep’. I had numerous experiences when we were working on the earbuds when I got a new tuning of the product and I put on a new album I just discovered, and it would get me all jazzed up. And I’d run out of my basement office and I’d go for a run. Making the product would cause me to use the product. That’s my job, isn’t it?”
Just like Janay feels like nothing can stop her from achieving her dream to be world champion, Mike feels the same way about what he does. “Our whole reason for being is to bring you great audio”, he says. “We’re never going to stop trying to make things that sound better. And we’re never going to stop trying to make your life better by bringing you the best sound possible.”
