Private as never before: Janet Jackson: In a new documentary she unpacks regarding Michael and her father
Janet Jackson is a superstar. The late King of Pop’s sister had a childhood just as touching as Michael Jackson. In a new documentary series, she now talks regarding her strict father and her relationship with her brother.
In any other family, Janet Jackson would have been the shining star that eclipses everyone. But as the little sister of the celebrated brother band the Jackson 5 and, of course, above all as the little sister of the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson, she first had to fight for her place in the music world. The result is an impressive career that includes five Grammys, more than 160 million records sold and seven number one albums on the US charts. The intimate documentary series “Janet Jackson” presents the 55-year-old in all her facets and undertakes a musical and very private journey through time.
“I was like, ‘Where do I fit in?'” Jackson asks early in the four-part documentary. These will be available for streaming on Sky Ticket from March 11th. You can get the subscription you need here. (Advertisement)
When she was four years old, in 1970, Jackson mania swept the country. Her brothers took over the stages across the country while Janet stayed at home. But soon the strict family patriarch Joe (Janet’s brother Randy: “We didn’t understand why he was so mean.”) also noticed his youngest child’s talent. In 1974, at the age of seven, Janet first appeared on the stage in Las Vegas and from then on played two shows a day.
In search of your own identity
Grainy archival footage shows little Janet on stage in director Benjamin Hirsch’s documentary in a pink evening dress. “I don’t remember ever being asked,” the artist admits decades later, noting, “None of us had a normal childhood.” family so successful.”
Even as a teenager, however, Jackson strove for his own identity. After her first album was created solely according to Joe’s ideas and flopped, the young artist renounced her father: “I needed control over my life.” Standing on her own two feet still earns her respect from brother Tito: ” She was one of the few in the family who said no to my dad. She’s tough.”
And the success proved Janet Jackson right: In 1985 her album “Control” was number one in the US charts. Producer Jimmy Jam accompanied the artist’s musical rebirth: “She became a different Janet.” Despite prizes, records and later world tours, the shadow of the family always hung over the singer, as the documentary impressively shows. “Despite her success, she has never been able to step out of Michael’s shadow,” says Jam, commenting on the constant media inquiries regarding Janet’s brother. “I wanted my own identity and not for people to buy my music because of my last name,” the artist herself makes clear.
“It felt like I was fighting Michael”
This question of one’s own identity runs like a red thread through “Janet Jackson” and always prevents the documentary series from drifting into pure hero worship. The format works chronologically through the career highs and lows of a unique artist and, thanks to authentic archive material and interview sequences with Janet Jackson and her companions, weaves it into a multi-faceted, impressive portrait.
This includes failed marriages and toxic relationships as well as Jackson’s style change in the 1990s to sex icon complete with lap dance on stage and candid “Rolling Stone” cover. The insights that Janet Jackson reveals regarding her changed relationship with Michael are also exciting. From their joint song “Scream” (1995) she wished to tie in with old, intimate times with her brother. But the record companies staged a competition between the two, isolating Michael: “That really hurt me. It felt like I was fighting him.”
On the other hand, what is probably the biggest turning point in Jackson’s career is dealt with extremely briefly: the “nipple gate” at the Super Bowl 2004, when Justin Timberlake exposed the singer’s chest during a dance performance. “All the hard work she’d put into her career up to that point was gone in a second and a half,” producer Jimmy Jam describes the fallout from the scandal. One would also like to know how the singer put away the excitement herself. But here Jackson is buttoned up: “I stayed focused on my work, was close to my friends and family.” She prefers to set musical exclamation marks. Jackson’s new album “Black Diamond” has been announced for 2022.
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