Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, actress, and voice performer. She is best known as a co-founder of the Go-Go's, the Los Angeles band that helped bring punk-informed new wave and guitar pop into the mainstream during the early 1980s. As the group's rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and songwriter, Wiedlin was an important part of the band's distinctive combination of sharp-edged guitars, bright melodies, and danceable arrangements.
Wiedlin and Belinda Carlisle formed the group in Los Angeles in 1978. Initially connected to the city's developing punk scene, the Go-Go's gradually developed a more melodic sound while retaining the directness and independence of their early work. Wiedlin co-wrote "Our Lips Are Sealed" with Terry Hall of the Specials, a song that became one of the band's signature recordings. She also played on the Go-Go's breakthrough albums Beauty and the Beat and Vacation, which produced such enduring tracks as "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," and "Vacation." The Go-Go's achievement was especially notable because the members wrote and performed their own material at a time when major-label pop frequently relied on outside songwriters and studio musicians.
Wiedlin left the Go-Go's in 1984 as the group was entering a period of internal and creative change. She began a solo career with the single "Blue Kiss" and released her self-titled debut album in 1985. The record introduced a more polished pop sound but preserved her interest in unusual textures, romantic tension, and energetic guitar-based songwriting. Her second album, Fur, followed in 1988 and became her best-known solo release. It included "Rush Hour," a major pop hit that demonstrated Wiedlin's ability to move from the ensemble identity of the Go-Go's to a commercially successful solo style.
In 1990, Wiedlin released Tangled, an album that continued her exploration of bright, sophisticated pop and new wave. The single "World on Fire" received substantial exposure through MTV. Her fourth solo album, Kissproof World, appeared in 2000 on her own Painful Discs label, reflecting a more independent approach to recording and release. She has also contributed vocals and songwriting to projects outside her solo catalog, including the group FroSTed, which featured former Go-Go's member Charlotte Caffey. In the 2010s, Wiedlin formed the electronic and psychedelic pop duo Elettrodomestico with Pietro Straccia.
The Go-Go's reunited several times after Wiedlin's departure, including tours and the 2001 album God Bless the Go-Go's. The band's influence was further documented in the 2020 documentary The Go-Go's, in which Wiedlin appeared alongside her former bandmates. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wiedlin has maintained a parallel career in acting and voice work. Her film appearances include Clue, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Firecracker, and The Sparks Brothers. She has also voiced characters in animated productions, most notably Dusk, a member of the fictional band the Hex Girls in the Scooby-Doo franchise. Across music, film, and animation, Wiedlin's career is defined by an unconventional pop sensibility, a playful visual presence, and a lasting role in the history of American new wave.