Janet Jackson

A singer? A brand name? A showbiz mogul-juggernaut. The second most gifted of The Jacksons, she began as a child actress on their TV show, and later on the sitcom Good Times (plus, still later, a season on Diff'rent Strokes as Willis' love interest, IIRC). Someone thought (wrongly) she might be able to sing, and signed her up. Prior to the 80's masterpiece Control (done with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis), she'd racked up flop LPs and one bad Hollywood marriage (to a DeBarge brother). The baby-fat is gone (...and I can see her belly button! Not that I was asking to, y'unnerstan'), the career's well-managed, she sings better, etc, etc.

Janet Jackson (1966) American singer and actress

Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 as member of the musical Jackson family in their hometown of Gary, Indiana. Besides appearances in some TV series (Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, Fame), she produced two albums at a young age, a self-titled one (1982) and Dream Street (1984). Her third album Control (1986) meant her breakthrough on the international stage, scoring hits like Control, Nasty, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Pleasure Principle, When I Think Of You and Let's Wait Awhile.

In 1989 she recorded a more mature album called Rhythm Nation 1814, a record "reflecting real life and my real concerns," as Janet put it. The album, that was characterized by a melodious funk-dance sound, spent weeks in a row at No.1 all over the world and resulted in the Rhythm Nation World Tour in 1990, which became the most successful debut tour of any artist in history, watched by over two million fans. Although it might have been an album that reflected her character and thoughts more than any previous album, it led to just a few little hits: Miss You Much and Love Will Never Do (Without You).

Janet Jackson negotiated a multi-million dollar record deal with Virgin in 1991. She picked up her acting career again in 1993 in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice. Shortly after that, she delivered the new janet album, which included the successful hit That’s The Way Love Goes, which held No.1 for a remarkable eight weeks in the US.

In 1995 Janet joined brother Michael for the quite fruitless hit single Scream, featuring a science-fiction video clip but lacking melody and passion. The following year brought Janet’s 'Greatest Hits' already, called 1986-1996 Design Of A Decade. Two less lucrative albums followed: The Velvet Rope (1997) and All For You (2001).

She is currently on a World Tour, which, in Janet-Jackson-language, means: 75% United States and 25% Europe. Her website is at http://www.janet-jackson.com.