Janet Jackson - She gets emotional when she thinks about Michael
Janet Jackson (58), with over 160 million record sellers, is one of the most successful Singers in the World and looks back on a nearly 50-year career, which began in childhood. At the age of seven, she made her first television appearance, and two years later, she recorded her first song. In an interview with the British BBC, Janet Jackson spoke about her childhood and her life as a child star.
At nine years old, Janet Jackson recorded her first song
While her five older brothers, including Michael Jackson (1958-2009), were already international megastars as the Jackson Five, Janet Jackson recorded her first song, "Fantasy," at home in her family's music studio out of boredom when she was nine years old. When her father, Joseph Jackson (1928-2018), heard the song, he said, "You will sing."
Now, nearly 50 years later, Janet Jackson is touring with her "Together Again"-Tour, which looks back on her entire career, through the USA and Europe. Initially, she had other plans, she says: "I wanted to go to college and study business law." Since her father was someone you couldn't refuse, she agreed. "I don't remember being asked," the 58-year-old says. "I only remember it being easy."
Her ballet teacher hit her
Janet Jackson never had proper training - except for a little dance instruction that ended unfortunately. "When I was little, my mother wanted to send me to ballet classes," the singer recalls. "But I had a big butt. So the teacher said that I couldn't pull in my buttocks enough. Then she hit me." She was four or five years old at the time.
Another attempt in her teenage years also ended in disaster. "I remember that my teacher came on to me a little too much, and I felt very uncomfortable," she recalls. "I remember leaving the class and telling my mother, and she said, 'You'll never go back there again.'" She learned her famous dance moves by watching musicals and teaching herself.
After working several years as an actress and background singer and duet partner for her brothers, Janet Jackson decided in 1981 - at the age of 15 - to record her own music. Her debut album, "Janet Jackson," was released in the fall of 1982, followed by "Dream Street" in 1984.
1986 saw the release of Janet Jackson's third studio album "Control," which became her first number one in the US charts. In the album, she processed her personal history - including her annulled brief marriage to James DeBarge (60), whom she married at 18, and her independence from her parents.
About her relationship with brother Michael Jackson
One of the most emotional moments during her current tour for Janet Jackson is the song "Scream," which she recorded with her late brother Michael in 1994 and performs in duet with old video clips at the concerts. She still gets sentimental "when I hear him every night, see him, and remember us," as quoted by the BBC.
"Mike and I wrote this song in New York, in his apartment," Jackson recalls. "So I'm experiencing this whole journey again when I hear him sing and remember what he went through. And I, his little sister, was always by his side, supporting him. That was always my role."
Janet Jackson still has several concerts in the USA until the end of July, followed by Europe. In Europe, the Pop Icon plays three concerts in Germany - on October 5 in Munich, October 6 in Cologne, and October 8 in Berlin. The tour ends on October 13 in Glasgow, Scotland.
In addition to her successful career, Janet Jackson also made a memorable collaboration with her brother Michael Jackson on the song "Scream" in 1994. The Jackson family matriarch, Janet's mother, had enrolled her in ballet classes at a young age, but the experience was met with harsh treatment from the instructor. Janet Jackson's debut album, "Janet Jackson," was released in 1982, following years of acting and singing background for her brothers in the Music World. Janet's third studio album, "Control," released in 1986, gained her international fame and reflected her personal experiences, including her marriage to James DeBarge and her desire for independence. In an interview with the BBC, she discussed her childhood and her transition into a successful solo artist, looking back on a nearly 50-year career in the Music World, which started at the age of seven with her first television appearance.
