Janet, Damita Jo or Miss Jackson if you're nasty, these names are all synonymous with Janet Jackson, one of the greatest contemporary music female artists of all time. Her success seemed predestined as she was born into a musical family that featured several talented brothers and sisters, remember Michael?. But she took an untraditional route to stardom. Early on, she appeared with them in "The Jacksons" variety show and made acting appearances as Penny on "Goodtimes" and as Charlene on "Different Strokes", but music was in her blood and this soft-spoken beauty had her sights on greater things.
By the time she was 16, her father and manager Joe Jackson had secured a contract with A and M records. The result was her self-titled album "Janet Jackson". It was a moderate success and prompted the release of "Dream Street." "Dream Street" failed to equal the success of her first album. By 1984 Jackson was starring on television again, this time as Cleo Hewitt on the Emmy Award winning "Fame."
Things seemed to be going well for Miss Jackson, but under the surface was bubbling a woman who was yearning for independence from her family and the squeaky clean image the world had of her. She secretly eloped with R and B singer James DeBarge. It was annulled shortly after the fact, but it was then that we realized that Janet had more to say.
Fast forward to 1986- Janet was introduced to former members of The Time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Their collaboration was Janet's "Control." Many people were not prepared to see a strong, mature Janet, but this musical and emotional breakthrough established the framework for her future albums. Janet's popularity was enhanced through the medium of music videos and "Control" became a multi-platinum award-winning album.
She continued working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on her next album "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" in 1989. Taking her message heavy song one step further, Janet wrote about social issues as well as love and relationships. This album was a commercial and critical success garnering a Grammy and several Billboard, MTV and Soul Train awards.
But it was Jackson's next album 1993's "janet," that solidified her place in music history as the first female artist to debut at number one (according to the Neilsen rating system.) A few months after the release of "janet," Jackson appeared in the film "Poetic Justice" opposite Tupac Shakur and directed by "Boys in the Hood" director John Singleton. To top off this successful year, Jackson's single from the film "Again" was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award while "That's the way Love Goes" stayed at number 1 for eight weeks.
1993 also had its share of controversy for Miss Jackson, specifically the cover of September's Rolling Stone Magazine that featured a shot of her being top bare except for a pair of hands (they later turned out to be those of her then husband Ren Elizondo. The cover caused a frenzy. Some criticized her for its explicit nature while others loved her daring.
Jackson again made "herstory" in 1996 when it was reported that Virgin has paid her a whopping $80 million to renew her contract. By 1997, rumors swirled that Janet was suffering from depression, but she used it in a creative way creating her next studio album "The Velvet Rope." The album showed a darker, more sexual side to Janet and while not as commercially successful again gave a glimpse into the inner struggle she was going through.
Not content to sit around, Jackson embarked on The Velvet Rope tour with stops in the US, Europe, Asia and everywhere in between. HBO filmed her live in Madison Square Garden scoring a rating coup beating out all the major networks. She also got into the collaboration game partnering with artists like BLACKStreet, Shaggy and Busta Rhymes.
With the release of Nutty Professor II; The Klumps" in 2000, Janet starred as Professor Denise Gaines. The film was a huge commercial success raking in over $200 million world-wide. Critics, however panned the film, but it did not keep Jackson's star from rising.
2001 saw the release of "All For You." The album debuted at number and the title track was a smash success for Jackson. The album's tone was lighter with pop/rock inspiration. While none of the other released singles did as well as "All For You," the overall album kept Janet in the spotlight. She soon received an invitation to appear at the 2004 Super Bowl. Finally divorced in 2003, she began to see music producer Jermaine Dupri. The couple is still together.
Super Bowl XXXVIII will be remembered for the phrase "wardrobe malfunction." During the halftime show, Miss Jackson and Justin Timberlake were in mid-performance when he was grabbed her bra, opened it and exposed one of her breasts (which happened to be pierced.) Complaints rang out to the FCC and CBS who was airing the show was fined heavily. Jackson apologized, saying Timberlake was supposed to rip the top and leave the bra in tact, but that it happened by accident. Even amid complaints, Jackson's bare breast became the most searched Internet story in history placing her in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Some think the lack of "comeback" success of Janet's next album "Damita Jo," was related to Nipplegate. The album debuted at number two and sold over a million copies in the US. Sales-wise it seemed that Miss Jackson was losing her touch with "20 Y.O." released in 2006. She decided to return to film starring in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" which opened at number one in opening weekend and grossed over $55 million while in theatres.
February 2008 saw the release of Jackson's latest "Discipline," possibly inspired by her transformation from hefty to hubba-hubba. With record producer LA Reid, boyfriend Jermaine Dupri and an incredible new bod, it was thought that "Discipline" would reignite Jackson's former glory. Unfortunately the album tanked.
But don't count her out. Miss Jackson has proven that she can go from variety show, to "Fame" to top-selling female artist to actress to dancer extraordinaire and back. With her entertainment legacy and skilled producers, she will find her place again. It's just a matter of "Control."