Month: September 2006

In the second in the series of joint articles between Billboard and Reuters, Janet speaks about her upcoming album 20 Y.O., set for release in the UK on September 25th.

Janet Jackson enjoys “great ride”

By Gail Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Few artists can sustain an extraordinary career that, despite a few bumps along the way, has fans anticipating your every move after 20 years.

Two decades after the debut of Janet Jackson’s career-making album, “Control,” fans are eagerly awaiting the September 26 release of her new Virgin Records set, “20 Y.O.” (formerly titled “20 Years Old”). The album reunites Jackson with original “Control” collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and pairs her for the first time with Grammy Award-winning producer Jermaine Dupri (who is also her boyfriend).

Some would expect a super diva to possess an exalted sense of self. After all, this is the singer behind an album that yielded no fewer than six crossover hits that exuded female empowerment, songs like “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “When I Think of You” and “Let’s Wait Awhile.”

Then, three years later, with 1989’s “Rhythm Nation 1814,” she became the first artist to produce seven top five hits from one album, trumping big brother Michael.

After jumping to Virgin from A&M for a reported $32 million (16.8 million pounds), Jackson continued her platinum-selling ways with “janet.” (1993), “The Velvet Rope” (1997), “All for You” (2001) and “Damita Jo” (2004). Along the way, there have been movies (“Poetic Justice,” “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”), TV (“Good Times, “Diff’rent Strokes,” “Fame”), sexy and provocative (read: topless) magazine covers (1993’s Rolling Stone and Vibe this September), a bout with depression, a legal battle over her musical income and the now-infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

Yet the Janet Jackson who sat down with Billboard fits anything but the diva prototype. The baby sister of the Jackson family was shy but forthcoming with her answers, at various times humorous and self-deprecating.

She says she’s at the happiest time in her life, but still in control and determined to take her career even higher, with one proviso: “I’ve got to have some fun,” she says.

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR CAREER TO THIS POINT?

It’s still a great ride. Along the way there have been highlights but thankfully not a dull moment. Looking back, the highlights include the albums “Control,” “All for You,” “janet.” and “Rhythm Nation 1814.” Hanging with Tupac, Regina King and Joe Torry while filming “Poetic Justice.”

Then there’s “Velvet Rope,” where I showed more of my feminine side. That was a crossroads for me: sharing what I’d been going through personally and how I felt about what was happening in the world. That turned out to be a very intimate record.

Then there’s this new album. It’s a highlight not just because I’m celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Control.” Once again, as back then, I’m making my own decisions.

This will sound corny, as if it’s not me talking, but it hasn’t always been easy, and I’m proud of “her” (Jackson refers to herself in the third person). This is my private celebration because truly, for the first time in my life, I’m very happy.

Continue reading “Janet speaks to Billboard/Reuters about new album”

In a series of joint articles published by Reuters and Billboard, Janet’s new album and upcoming tour are talked about. In the first in the series, Jimmy Jam and Jermaine Dupri speak about their efforts on Janet’s new album 20 Y.O.

Janet Jackson pays tribute to breakthrough disc

By Janine Coveney

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Don’t call it a comeback. Janet Jackson conceived her new Virgin Records release, “20 Y.O.” (due September 26), as a celebration of the joyful liberation and history-making musical style of her 1986 breakthrough album, “Control.” That album has shipped more than five million copies in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. (Her most recent album, 2004’s “Damita Jo,” shipped a million copies, according to the trade group.)

Jackson’s musical declaration of independence launched a string of hits, an indelible production sound and an enduring image cemented by groundbreaking video choreography and imagery that pop vocalists still emulate.

On “20 Y.O.,” Jackson reunited with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and was joined by Jermaine Dupri to craft a musical reflection of who she is today and how the artistic promise of “Control” has been fulfilled some two decades later.

Creating a project with such lofty goals was a relatively smooth process, Jam and Dupri say. Conversations that began before Christmas 2005 between Jackson and the producers narrowed down the theme early, and songwriting and recording began in earnest in February.

The discussion turned to how Jackson was feeling at the time “Control” was recorded (when, incidentally, Dupri was just 13).

“I started asking questions like, ‘What was the feeling of life when you were 20?’ I was so intrigued with what was going on in her life then that I just thought her album should be called that,” Dupri says.

Continue reading “JD and Jimmy Jam speak to Reuters about 20 Y.O.”

In an article on Billboard.com, Janet is quoted talking about her new album and the collaborative effort that 20 Y.O. has between Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jermaine Dupri.

Janet Ready To Dance Again On New Album

September 01, 2006, 10:45 AM ET
Janine Coveney and Gail Mitchell, L.A.

Janet Jackson conceived her new album, “20 Y.O.,” as a celebration of the joyful liberation and history-making musical style of her 1986 breakthrough album, “Control.” That musical declaration of independence launched a string of hits, an indelible production sound and an enduring image cemented by groundbreaking video choreography and imagery that pop vocalists still emulate.

For the new album, Jackson reunited with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and was joined by her boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri, to craft a musical reflection of who she is today and how the artistic promise of “Control” has been fulfilled some two decades later.

“This album takes me to a place where I haven’t been in a while: R&B and dance,” Jackson tells Billboard. “I give that credit to Jermaine. I like to say he brought the country to the album, while he says he brought the ghetto [laughs].

“But the dance element was the one thing I was adamant about having,” she continues. “The album also features samples from music that inspired me 20, 25 years ago. There are also some midtempo songs and some of what everyone calls my ‘baby-making songs.’ Basically, the album is everything that’s always been a part of me, but with freshness to it.”

In addition to lead single “Call on Me” featuring Nelly, the album also features “Show Me,” which Jam calls a “happy record,” “With You,” which Dupri calls a bona fide smash, “So Excited,” a sexy fantasy called “My Body” and “Get It Out Me.”

“It was really a collaborative effort, and that’s what made it so nice,” Jackson says. “Jermaine would run into the studio and talk about the songs Jimmy and Terry had done on someone’s album. Then Jimmy would start playing the song, and Jermaine would say, ‘You know what? Let’s do something kind of along those lines as a base.’ He understood them, he understood me and vice versa.”

The bonus DVD that we mentioned in our August 26th article is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. As we also previously mentioned, the DVD will feature the following items:

1. Photo Shoot
2. In the Studio
3. Dancer Auditions
4. Making of Call on Me: The Video