Janet Jackson

Biography: Janet Damita Jo Jackson, sister of the ridiculously famous Michael and the other members of The Jackson Five, has managed to become worldly famous in her own right, emerging from the shadows of her brothers' fame. She was born on May 16th, 1966 to Joseph and Katherine Jackson, being the youngest of nine total siblings. She attended Lanai Road Elementary School, then went on to Portola Middle School where she was teased and harassed by kids because of her fame on the TV show Good Times. In 1984 she graduated from Valley Professional School, where most children were entertainers or actors. As a young girl Janet was more of a tomboy, with dreams of becoming a jockey, but at the age of seven her father urged her to join her brothers in their variety act. This led to other opportunities for Janet, most notably her role in the TV show Good Times, which producer Norman Lear asked her to be on in 1977. Her role on Good Times lasted until 1979, and then Janet moved on to star in two other TV shows - Diff'rent Strokes and A New Kind of Family.
In 1982, after signing to A&M Records, and with some convincing by her father, Janet released her first album, entitled Janet Jackson. The album didn't fare too well, with only a few songs reaching the charts, most notably "Young Love". In 1983 Janet was cast on the TV show Fame, and the next year she released her second album, Dream Street, which was even more of a failure than her first album. The same year Janet rebelled against her family and married the singer James DeBarge. She annulled the marriage only a year later though, returning to her family.
Upon returning home, Janet's father got her a new manger, John McClain. 1986 marked Janet's first highly successful album - Control, which hit number one on the charts and included the hit singles Nasty, When I Think of You, and Let's Wait Awhile, among others. Janet's new album cast her in a more positive light, as a confident young woman with a distinctive and great dance moves. Janet's elaborate music videos, many of which were produced by Paula Abdul, also helped her album's success.
Janet released her next album, Rhythm Nation 1814 in 1989, which was also very successful and again fueled by her elaborate music videos. The album produced seven top five hits, including Miss You Much, Rhythm Nation, and Escapade. A hugely successful tour followed the album's release. In 1991, Janet left A&M Records and signed with Virgin Records for a reported $32 million. Also in 1991, she secretly married Rene Elizondo.
In 1993 Janet made her movie debut in Poetic Justice opposite Tupac Shakur. She also released her next album the same year, which was entitled Janet and debuted at number one. The album had a more adult, sexy feel to it than her previous albums, as did the tour that accompanied the album. The album's release sparked somewhat of a new image of Janet, which she further developed with things such as a risque pose on the cover of Rolling Stone. The most notable single on her album, That's the Way Love Goes, became her biggest hit ever.
Janet collaborated with her brother Michael in 1995 on the single Scream for which a hugely elaborate video followed. She also signed a new contract with Virgin, worth a reported $80 million, and in 1986 Design of a Decade 1986-1996, a top hits album of hers, was released. Janet's next album came out in 1997. The Velvet Rope was greatly anticipated and became a success, although not as big as a success as it was hoped to be. It contained such hit singles as Got `Til It's Gone and Together Again. At the same time though, Janet's personal life was at a low. She admitted to depression and self-esteem issues, and in 2000 she divorced Rene Elizondo.
Janet appeared in Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor II: The Klumps in 2000, and also released a number one single, Doesn't Really Matter that appeared on the movie's soundtrack. The next year she released another album, All For You, which was yet another of Janet's albums to debut at number one on the charts. It produced hit singles such as All For You and Someone to Call My Lover.
2004 marked one of the biggest controversies in recent American media, and one of the most embarrassing points in Janet's career. While performing a duet with Justin Timberlake at the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, one of Janet's breasts was exposed, with a metal sun medallion on her nipple. The event sparked complaints to the Federal Communications Commission which imposed large fines on CBS and many of its affiliates. Janet and Justin still claim that the baring of her breast was unintentional. Shortly after the Super Bowl incident, Janet released her next album, Damita Jo, which despite the controversy still had significant sales.
In 2006 Janet released her most recent album, 20 Y.O.. She stared in the movie Why Did I Get Married?, which was released on October 12th, 2007. After over 20 years in the business Janet still remains a prominent figure in the music world and shows no signs of disappearing from the scene anytime soon.… Expand