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Janet Jackson mp3
Born in Gary, Indiana, Janet Jackson was the youngest of Katherine Esther and Joseph Walter Jackson’s ten children. In March 1969, her elder brothers were performing music as The Jackson 5 at nightclubs. The Jackson’s moved into Hayvenhurst, owing to the success of the Jackson’s four consecutive number one singles.
Following her father’s plan, she appeared on stage in Las Vegas Strip. Next year her father ordered her to call him “Joseph” as he was now her manager. She debuted with The Jacksons, on the CBS in 1976. Later she also appeared in the sitcom “Good Times”, “A New Kind of Family”, “Different Strokes” and “Fame”.
“Janet Jackson”, the debut album, released in 1982 and peaked at number six on Billboard. Joseph, who had earlier arranged a contract with “A & M” for her, oversaw the entire production.
After her second album “Dream Street”, failed to be a successful debut album, she eloped with James DeBarge. The marriage was annulled in mid-1985. She then won a silver medallion as a choirist under her sister La Toya’s number “Baby Sister” at the Yamaha Music Festival.
Janet Jackson separated her business affairs from her family and came out from under her father. She completed “Control” with Jam and Lewis in six weeks after that. When the album released in February 1986, it topped Billboard 200 selling 200,000 copies in one week. “Control” sold over fourteen million copies, won four American Music Awards and was certified five times platinum by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, her fourth album released in September 1989. The theme of the songs moved to universal concerns such as crime, drugs, illiteracy, and injustice. Billboard 200 ranked Rhythm Nation number one and sold more than fourteen million copies worldwide and was certified six times platinum. Jackson was acknowledged for the cultural impact that her music created and “The Rhythm Nation World Tour” was the most successful tour on debut by any recording artist.
She signed a deal with Virgin Records in 1991. She secretly married her long term friend Rene Elizondo, Jr. – a dancer, songwriter and director.
“Janet” was her fifth album and her first with Virgin Records after she completed work on Poetic Justice in August 1992. It was released in May 1993 and immediately reached number one on the Billboard 200. The album was certified six times platinum by RIAA with sales of over twenty million copies.
Poetic Justice, released in July 1993, was her film debut which had mix reactions from the critics. She appeared topless on the Rolling Stone Magazine cover with her then husband covering her breasts. Her second world tour after “Janet”, the “Janet World Tour” was acclaimed critically.
Her brother, Michael, was embroiled in child sex abuse scandal during this period and she came out in strong support of him. She even denied any truth in allegations made by her sister La Toya and criticized Jermaine, her brother for attacking Michael with his song “Word to the Badd”.
She collaborated on “Scream” with Michael on his lead single from the 1995 album “HIStory” as a response to accusation of child sex abuse. The song became the first song to debut on number five at the Hot 100 Singles chart and at $7 million; it is in Guiness Book of World Records as the “Most Expensive Music Video Ever Made”. Janet and Michael won a Grammy for “Scream”.
Design of a Decade was released via A & M Records in October 1995, peaking at number three. It was certified two times platinum by the RIAA and sold in excess of four million copies.
Jackson was reported to be suffering from depression and anxiety during the two years before the release of her sixth studio album “The Velvet Rope”. She donated part of “Together Again” proceeds, from the album, to the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The album itself was honored by National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, winning the Outstanding Music Album at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
Jackson began an international trek, “The Velvet Rope Tour”, in 1988. She donated a part of her HBO Special, The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden, concert ticket sales to America’s Promise. She separated from Elizondo Jr. after that month. She then lent her voice to songs from other artists. She performed with Elton John in a duet and received the lifelong contribution to the music industry award with Cher. She was voted second most successful artist of the decade by Billboard.
Jackson appeared as Professor Denise Gaines, opposite Eddie Murphy in her second film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which opened at number one at the box office collecting $42.7 million dollars in the opening weekend. In the same year, her second husband René Elizondo, Jr. filed for divorce with a multimillion-dollar suit, estimated to be between $10-25 million. No settlement on the lawsuit was reached till 2003.
American Music Awards’ Award of Merit and the inaugural mtvICON awards were bestowed on her. “All for You”, her seventh album started at number one in Billboard 200 with highest first week sales total.
The “All for You” tour of Jackson began in July, 2001. The reviews sparked a war of words between the critics with Los Angeles Times’ pop music critic Robert Hilburn giving a negative review and the likes of David Messy and Rudy Scalese complimenting Jackson for her performance.
In the Super Bowl XXXVIII show at halftime in February 2004, Jackson was in an embarrassing situation when Justin Timberlake exposed her left breast after a planned move went wrong, and tore her top.
Her eighth album, Damita Jo, released in March 2004 and certified as platinum by RIAA, selling more than three million copies worldwide.
She was presented by the “100 Black Men of America, Inc.”, the organization’s Artistic Achievement Award, honoring her as an African-American role model. She was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Campaign and AIDS Project Los Angeles for her work and help in raising money for AIDS Charities, in June 2005.
Jackson appeared on US Weekly’s cover to promote her ninth album 20 Y.O. in June 2006. The issue was the magazine’s one of the best selling issues. The record, on its release, achieved number two on Billboard 200 in September 2006. She appeared as a psychotherapist, Patricia, in her third consecutive number one opening film “Why Did I Get Married?”
Discipline, her tenth studio album, released in February 2008 debuted at number one on Billboard 200. In September 2008, “Rock Witchu Tour”, her fifth concert tour started and with mutual agreement she parted ways with her record label.
In July, while she was filming “Why Did I Get Married Too?” in Atlanta, she received news of her brother Michael’s death. He was 50. She performed a tribute to her sibling at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
“Why Did I Get Married Too?”, sequel to “Why Did I Get Married?” opened at number two at the opening weekend in April 2010. Jackson reprised her role in the franchise and her performance was once again subject to both praise and criticism and went on to star as Joanna in “For Colored Girls” in November 2010.
Jackson has plans to go on a world tour which will be her largest ever, in 2011. The tour will be in support of her second greatest hits collection, Number Ones. The plan is to hold concerts in 35 global cities and is named “Number Ones: Up Close and Personal”. The decision of cities will be based on her fans’ suggestions dropped at her website.
She has agreed to partner with Mattel to release a Barbie doll resembling her. The doll titled “Divinely Janet” auctioned for $15,000. The proceeds of the auction has been donated to “Project Angel Food”
She has also authored a self-help book, “True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself,” which was released on February 15, 2011. The book topped The New York Times Bestseller List in March 2011. Jackson will also produce films for Lionsgate independent studio as she has entered into a contract with them.
She is also invited to perform at the I.M. Pei glass pyramid at the Louvre, the first female pop star to do so. She will do so in conjunction with the museums’ bi annual fund raising event on Tuesday, June 14. The event is named ‘Liaisons au Louvre’.
