With the release of her Number Ones album today, we look back at her hits (and misses).
- Kathryn H. Cusimano, BettyConfidential.com
1. Stepping Into the Spotlight
By the time Janet joined the cast of Good Times in 1977, her brothers had already topped the Billboard charts as the Jackson Five. At age 11 (four years after she made her debut onstage with her brothers), Janet joined the cast of the hit sitcom as Millicent “Penny” Woods, a neighbor who suffers abuse at the hands of her mother. Roles on Diff’rent Strokes and Fame followed.
She was signed to a recording contract at the age of 16 and released two less-than-successful before hitting her stride in 1986 with Control. With hit singles such as “What Have You Done for Me Lately” and “Nasty,” Janet (Miss Jackson if you’re nasty) asserted her independence and strength as a singer. “Control meant not only taking care of myself but living in a much less protected world,” Janet told Rolling Stone in 1993. She proved that for the Jacksons, singing and dancing is all in the genes.
Janet hit an artistic milestone with 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814. She worked closely with her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, to create a socially conscious album that tackled issues of injustice and racial unity — and spawned seven top five singles. “I'm not naive — I know an album or a song can't change the world,” Janet told USA Today in 1989. “Hopefully that will inspire [the audience], make them want to join hands... and make some sort of difference.”
Perhaps watching her brother Michael live every aspect of his life in the spotlight gave Janet the determination to live her life out of the spotlight. She went so far as to conceal her nine-year marriage to songwriter and director Rene Elizondo Jr., whom she wed in 1991. Janet has been romantically involved with producer Jermaine Dupri for several years, and though she recently told Harper’s Bazaar that she was single, she said she is open to getting married again: “I don't know if I'll get married again… I'll put it like this: If God wants me to, then I will.” Sources say Janet and Jermaine, who briefly split earlier this year, are planning a wedding.
Janet followed the runaway success of Rhythm Nation 1814 with a self-titled album. “Certain people feel I'm just riding on my last name,” Janet told USA Today in 1994. “That's why I just put my first name on Janet. and why I never asked my brothers to write or produce music for me.” Janet explored her newly discovered sexual persona on the album and memorably appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone, with her breasts covered by her then-husband’s hands. Sexual liberation has set the tone for the rest of Janet’s career, though it brought her trouble in 2004, with Nipplegate. The album was another milestone for Janet — “Any Time, Any Place” became her 14th gold record, tying Aretha Franklin’s record and firmly establishing Janet’s place among music’s greats.
Janet made it to the big screen in 1993’s Poetic Justice, alongside Tupac Shakur. Janet’s performance received mixed reviews but she was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her song for the film, “Again.” She has dabbled in acting since, starring in 2000’s Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and 2007’s Why Did I Get Married? She is currently filming the sequel to the Tyler Perry hit.
Janet teamed up with her brother Michael in 1995 for the hit single “Scream” and its out-of-this-world video — at $7 million, it’s the most expensive music video ever made. “Scream” marked Janet and Michael’s first and only public project together, and came two years after Michael’s first molestation case. “I played the role that I've always played in his life: his little sister that was there by his side, that had his back no matter what,” Janet told MTV this year. “That's what 'Scream' was for me.”
It was the rip heard round the world when Justin Timberlake tore off a part of Janet Jackson’s top at the 2004 Super Bowl to reveal her breast and pierced nipple. The FCC initially fined CBS, which broadcast the event, $550,000 for the “indecency,” though the case is still in court. “I am really sorry if I offended anyone. That was truly not my intention,” Janet said in a statement released after the event. She was scheduled to appear at the Grammy Awards on CBS later that week, but refused to apologize to the network for her performance and did not attend the event. But Nipplegate changed TV forever. Because of what happened, “live” television events are usually broadcast with an audio and video delay.
Janet tends to disappear from the spotlight between tours, and now we know one reason why — she struggles with her weight. “I could not believe how big I was, how heavy I really was,” Janet said in 2007, adding that she hoped to write a book about her yo-yoing weight. That book is due out next year and will reportedly reveal how she has dealt with issues of self-esteem in her life.
10. Remembering Michael
Less than three months after her brother Michael’s death, Janet took to the stage for the opening of the MTV Video Music Awards, where she paid tribute to the King of Pop. After dancers performed choreography from Michael’s biggest videos, Janet recreated “Scream,” the music video she made with him, while his image was projected on a massive screen over the stage. “It was very emotional for me and I was trying not to cry,” Janet told MTV. “It gave me goosebumps.”
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