Jan Hellriegel was born in West Auckland to a family of six. While it is true that she worked at her father's panelbeaters (A.F. Hellriegel Panelbeaters Ltd) it was, contrary to popular legend, in the office and not pumping iron. Nonetheless, she has always been the New Zealand media's 'Westie' darling.
Jan moved to Dunedin to attend Otago University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, and met up with the friends who would later become Cassandra's Ears. Jan also took vocal training in Speech and Singing at Sister Mary Leo.
Jan Hellriegel first debuted in the Official New Zealand Top 40 Singles on 7 March 1999 with the song Melusine. There are four entries by Jan Hellriegel in the charts.