- Janet | Interview
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- Janet Jackson: Still On
Top
The veteran dishes
on her new album, staying disciplined and the young
competition
Janet
Jackson is more than a long-lasting force in the entertainment industry. She’s a
part of American history. Her breakthrough 1986 album Control was honored with
twelve American Music Award nominations, a record that has yet to be broken, and
she’s the first Black female recording artist to receive a Grammy nomination for
Producer of the Year.
Here she talks to Essence.com
about her new album Discipline, being a pioneer and the young competition.
Essence.com: After more than twenty years of
recording, why do you need discipline?
Janet
Jackson: Discipline has
always been a part of me. When I started to perform onstage with my brothers and
sisters, I would do my own hair. And not just in a messy way that a little kid
would do, it had to be very neat. That's a lot of discipline for a kid and I’ve
always had that.
Essence.com: You once said that you view everyone
as competition. Who do you see as competition now?
J.J.: Everyone! I still feel the same way. Even though I do feel there's room
for everyone as long as I'm first—no, I’m just kidding! [Laughs] I grew up
competitive. We even grew up like that as brothers and sisters, but it's a
healthy competition. It keeps me going. It keeps me moving the way music and
other things do.
Essence.com: "Discipline" is your first album
since you left Virgin. How is the creative process different being on Island Def
Jam?
J.J: There's a
huge difference. When I first joined Virgin Records we connected and spent a lot
of time together similar to a family. Then, a lot of people left. It was a new
group of people and we didn’t always see eye to eye. At that point it was time
for me to move on and I did.
Essence.com: We always hear horror stories of
artists trying to leave their label. How were you able to move
on?
J.J.: I saw LA
Reid at Oprah's Legends Ball. We’ve been friends for years plus he’s wanted to
work with me since my early days at Virgin. He asked me when my contract would
end and I told him that I was working on my last album. It started from there.
Essence.com: For a while, you were one of the few
Black female artists with worldwide success. What role do you think you've had
in changing the landscape for women of color in the music
industry?
J.J.: I’ve held
the door open a little wider and that's the way it should be. There were people
before me who helped make it a lot easier for myself, like Diana Ross, Eartha
Kitt and Lena Horne. I did things to try to make it better for those coming up
behind me so it wouldn’t be as difficult.
Essence.com: Are there any plans to tour this
album?
J.J: Yes, the
idea is to tour at the end of summer. We were actually in full tour mode with
the band and dancers for the last album. But the label called and asked if we
would make a new album, then go on a tour.
Janet Jackson’s new album
Discipline is in stores now.
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