Early Life and Career
Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana. She was the youngest of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family. Janet's parents, Katherine Esther Jackson and Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, both had a love for music, with Katherine playing clarinet and piano and Joseph being a former boxer who played guitar in a local rhythm and blues band.
Janet grew up with a strong musical influence from her siblings, who formed the Jackson 5 and signed with Motown Records in the late 1960s. In 1982, Janet signed with A&M Records and released her debut album, "Janet Jackson," produced by her father and featuring bubblegum pop music.
Personal Life
Janet's personal life has been a subject of public interest for decades. She was briefly married to singer James DeBarge in 1984, which was annulled the following year. In 1991, she secretly married dancer/songwriter/director René Elizondo Jr. and the marriage was kept a secret until their divorce was announced in 2000.
In 2012, Janet married Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana, and they had a son together in 2017. However, the couple announced their separation and divorce in 2017.
The Youngest Sister of the "Precious Jackson Clan
Janet Jackson, the youngest sister of the legendary Jackson family, has always been determined to carve out her own path in the music industry. Despite coming from a family with a storied musical history, including her older brother Michael Jackson, Janet has worked hard to distinguish herself as an artist in her own right.
In a 2018 article for Newsday, Steve Dollar described Janet as projecting a "home girl-next-door quality" that contrasts with the intense scrutiny her family has faced over the years. He noted that the Jackson family's "inner and outer lives" have been the subject of constant gossip, documentaries, and media coverage, akin to the level of attention given to the Kennedys. Janet has sought to distance herself from this media circus and focus on her own career.
Phillip McCarthy of The Sydney Morning Herald observed that Janet has even imposed certain conditions on interviewers, such as a ban on any discussion of Michael Jackson, in order to maintain her independence and avoid being overshadowed by her famous older brother.
Joshua Klein, writing for The A.V. Club, noted that Janet's early albums were marked by a sense of determination and defiance. He pointed to songs like "The Pleasure Principle," "Rhythm Nation," and "Control" as examples of Janet's willingness to assert herself as an artist with something to prove. This attitude helped establish her as a force to be reckoned with in the pop music landscape of the 1980s and 1990s.
Acting Career
In addition to her music career, Janet has also pursued acting roles. She had a recurring role on the sitcom "Good Times" in 1977 and later starred in "A New Kind of Family" and "Diff'rent Strokes." She also had a role in the fourth season of "Fame."
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