Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television appearances, and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture since the early 1970s. The youngest child of the
Jackson family, she began her career appearing on the variety television series
The Jacksons in 1976 and went on to appear on other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including
Good Times and
Fame.
After signing a recording contract with A&M in 1982, she came to prominence following the release of her third studio album
Control (1986). Her collaborations with record producers
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of
pop,
rhythm and blues,
funk,
disco,
rap, and
industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in
popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her records, choreography, music videos, and prominence on radio airplay and
MTV, she was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.
In 1991, she signed the first of two record-breaking, multi-million dollar contracts with
Virgin Records, establishing her as one of the highest paid artists in the industry. Her debut album under the label,
Janet (1993), saw her develop a public image as a
sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her work. That same year, she appeared in her first starring film role in
Poetic Justice; since then she has continued to act in feature films. By the end of the 1990s,
Billboard named her the second most successful recording artist of the decade, following
Mariah Carey. She has amassed an extensive catalog of hits, with singles such as "
Nasty", "
Rhythm Nation", "
That's the Way Love Goes", "
Together Again" and "
All for You" her most iconic.
Having sold over 100 million records, she is ranked as one of the
best-selling artists in the history of
contemporary music.
[1] The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists her as the eleventh
best-selling female artist in the United States, with 26 million
certified albums.
[2] In 2008,
Billboardmagazine released its list of the Hot 100
All-Time Top Artists, ranking her at number seven. In 2010, the magazine announced the "Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years", ranking her at number five. One of the world's most
awarded artists, her longevity, records and achievements reflect her influence in shaping and redefining the scope of popular music. She has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers.
1966–82: Childhood and television work
Jackson (bottom row) in a 1976 CBS photo on the set of
The Jacksons
Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of ten children, to
Katherine Esther (née Scruse) and
Joseph Walter Jackson.
[3] The Jacksons were lower-middle class and devout
Jehovah's Witnesses; Jackson stated that although she was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, she eventually stopped practicing organized religion and views her relationship with God as "one-on-one".
[4] By the time Jackson was a toddler, her older brothers—
Jackie,
Tito,
Jermaine,
Marlon and
Michael—were performing music at nightclubs and theaters as
The Jackson 5. In March 1969, the group signed a record deal with
Motown, and by the end of the year they had recorded the first of four consecutive number one singles. The Jackson 5's success allowed the family to move to the
Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1971, where they settled in a gated mansion called Hayvenhurst.
[3] Although born into a family of professional musicians, Jackson, whose love of horses resulted in a desire to become a race-horse jockey, had no aspiration to become an entertainer. Despite this, her father planned for her to pursue a career in entertainment. She once commented, "No one ever asked me if I wanted to go into show business ... it was expected."
[3]