THE RISE, FALL & RISE OF AN ICON
As her groundbreaking documentary airs, we pay tribute to the one-and-only Janet Jackson
‘Janet finally gets to tell her side’
The lights go up, the camera rolls and a present-day Janet Jackson looks stoically at the screen. “You’ve been very private about your personal life up until now,” says the director. “Why did you want to do this documentary?” It’s a good question. In 2017, Janet invited a film crew to follow her on her eighth tour – and they didn’t put down the cameras for five years. The result is Janet, a two-part opus that marks the 40th anniversary of the release of her first album and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the making of an American icon.
This week, Sky and NOW have finally released the highly anticipated documentary, and it’s safe to say that we learn more about Janet in four hours than we’ve ever known about her in the almost-50 years she’s spent in the public eye. Tackling every facet of her extraordinary life – and probing the gamut of rumours and controversies surrounding her and her family in the process – it’s a tour de force that finally gives her the chance to tell her side of the story. She reveals the pain behind her success, the drive behind her ambition and the weakness behind her strength. “It doesn’t matter how much work you do,” she says, reflecting on her unconventional life in the public eye. “It’s still painful.”
IT’S ALL FOR YOU
Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, in 1966 to Katherine and Joe Jackson – devout Jehovah’s Witnesses who saw the star quality (and earning potential) of their ten children. In 1969, her brothers – performing as The Jackson 5 – signed a deal with the legendary R&B label Motown, prompting the family to up sticks to LA. Soon after, they landed a residency in Las Vegas. Aged seven, Janet performed for the first time alongside her brothers, and from then on, she was part of Joe’s circus, acting in the family’s variety show, landing roles on TV sitcoms, including Diff ’rent Strokes and Fame , and launching her own solo career, under her dad’s watchful eye, at the age of 16.
“He was very tough,” Janet says about Joe. “He told us what he wanted us to do and we did it.”
TAKING BACK CONTROL
Janet’s risque lyrics, fierce R&B and pop beats and highly choreographed performances (it wasn’t just Michael who was partial to a bit of crotch grabbing) were trail blazing and have had huge influence on other stars for decades. She has five Grammys, eight Guinness World Records entries, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The documentary achieves the feat of exploring every era of her career, with jaw-dropping interviews and never-beforeseen video clips, and features titans including Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Samuel L Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg – all of
whom have something to say about Ms Jackson’s incredible legacy.
We see the liberation she felt after firing her dad as her manager and releasing the defiant 1986 album Control – only to then find herself under the thumb of her second husband, René Elizondo Jr. We see the horror and pain she shared with the rest of her siblings after Michael was accused of child sex abuse. And she opens up about how she felt after that Super Bowl incident (you might remember it), in which Justin Timberlake exposed Janet’s breast during their duet, and caused outrage. The “wardrobe malfunction” became known as “nipplegate” – and while Justin’s career continued to soar despite the controversy, the event tarred Janet’s reputation for many years afterwards. Obviously, she has a lot to say on the matter.
As for her reasons for doing the documentary and opening up like never before, the now55 year old says she’s ready to dispel the rumours, once and for all. The way Janet sees it? “It’s just something that needs to be done.” ■
Janet is available to watch on NOW and Sky Documentaries