Jan Hellriegel’s love affair with music started when she learned classical piano as a child, and as a teenager she took vocal coaching from Dame Sister Mary Leo, whose protégés included
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
Her first foray into recording was with her brother Rob's band Working With Walt, before forming all-girl indie pop-rock band
Cassandra's Ears at Otago University. They developed a strong following, toured relentlessly and released two self-funded EPs before disbanding in 1989.
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.