JANET JACKSON

Biography

Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana. She's the youngest of 9 children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson. Growing up in the Jackson family, Janet was aware of the lures of performance early on. Since The Jackson 5 were already stars by the time Janet was a teenager, it may never have occurred to her that it was possible to fail in show business.

As she grew older, her interests branched out into several directions -- dancing, acting and singing. She appeared on stage in her brothers' show in 1973, when she was only seven years old. In 1977, Norman Lear offered her a job on Good Times on CBS. After that, Janet Jackson began appearing on other TV shows such as Different Strokes and A New Kind of Family.

janet jackson releases her first album
In 1982, Janet Jackson released her first self-titled album. Only 16 years old at the time, Janet had yet to find a style and a specific audience. She began touring and during her tour, she met two members of the band The Time -- Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- two men who ultimately became major figures in her career.

In 1983, Janet landed a role on the television series Fame. During her time on the show, she remained in the protective clutches of her parents who were often on the set. By 1984, Janet eloped with singer James DeBarge. But the following spring, she moved back with her parents and had the marriage annulled. Also in 1984, Janet released her second album, Dreamstreet, and although it was a little more personal, it was not well received by fans or critics.

The album that helped Janet shine was 1986's Control. It was her first album created with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This album hit No.1, putting six singles on various charts. It marked the point that Janet Jackson began to express herself verbally, musically and rhythmically.

Janet's sex symbol status began to ignite and the singles from the album just kept coming: Five of the tracks from the album became top-five pop hits. Janet spent the following two years supporting the album and remixing the songs into dance versions.

welcome to janet nation
In 1989, Janet Jackson released her next album, Rhythm Nation 1814, and although the album was great in and of itself, it was her music videos that made her unstoppable. The tour that followed was huge, expensive and theatrical.

By 1993, Janet's follow-up album janet contained a very openly sexual tone. That same year, she starred in John Singleton's Poetic Justice. Since then, Janet Jackson spent time building her acting skills, writing songs, and maintaining relationships with her family.

In 1995, Janet joined her brother Michael Jackson on the hit single "Scream" and appeared in the song's video clip. In 1996, she released Janet Jackson 1986/1996 Design of a Decade, an album containing the best music from her last 10 years in the business.

In autumn of 1997, Janet Jackson released The Velvet Rope, one of the most anticipated albums to be released in music. Although the album became an instant success (with songs like "Together Again" and "Got 'Til It's Gone"), her personal life took a serious hit. Her secret marriage to Rene Elizondo came to a screeching halt after 8 years of wedded bliss.

janet jackson develops as an artist
In 2000, Janet starred alongside Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and she wrote the hit single "Doesn't Really Matter" for the soundtrack. "Doesn't Really Matter" held the No.1 spot for a number of weeks, and was included in Janet's multi-platinum album, All For You (2001).

Hot off the trails of her album release, Janet spent a large part of 2001 on a worldwide "All For You" tour. Honored with the Award of Merit at the 2001 American Music Awards (her brother Michael, Gloria Estefan and Frank Sinatra are among past recipients), Janet Jackson was recognized as a true a pop icon, and her music is "All For You."

After some time away from the spotlight, not counting the legal troubles Michael faced, Janet shocked the millions of football fans watching Super Bowl XXXVIII, when her right breast was exposed at the end of her halftime duet of "Rock Your Body" with Justin Timberlake.

While Janet apologized and claimed it was a stunt that went awry, Justin called it a "wardrobe malfunction." Well, it surely didn't hurt sales of Janet's album Damita Jo (2004) that was released shortly thereafter.

After spending some time in hiding with her man Jermaine Dupri, Janet Jackson released 20 Y.O. (2006) right around her 40th birthday. In 2007, it was announced that Janet Jackson would star in Why Did I Get Married?

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