Janet Jackson: Singer, Actress and Star of Control and Poetic Justice

Janet Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She is best known for the albums Control (1986), Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) and The Velvet Rope (1997), and for her lead role in the film Poetic Justice (1993). In 2026 she released a remix of “Doesn’t Really Matter” with BE:FIRST and kept performing live.

Janet Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 100 million records. She holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hits by a female artist, with 18. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Who is Janet Jackson?

Full name	Janet Damita Jo Jackson
Born	May 16, 1966, Gary, Indiana, United States
Age	60 (as of November 2026)
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress
Years active	1977–present
Known for	Control (1986), Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), Poetic Justice (1993), The Velvet Rope (1997)
Profiles	Wikipedia · IMDb

Janet Jackson’s turning point: Control (1986)

Janet Jackson’s career changed for good with Control in 1986. She made the album with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in Minneapolis. It spent weeks at number one on Billboard’s R&B albums chart that spring and turned her into a global pop star. Control was also the first record she made after ending her business arrangements with her family, so it is often read as a declaration of independence.

Rhythm Nation 1814 followed in 1989. Its socially conscious songs and military-precise choreography became a model for music videos on MTV. It is still the only album in history to produce seven top-five singles on the Hot 100.

Janet Jackson before stardom: the television years (1977–1985)

Janet Jackson started out as a child actress on television. She was the youngest of the ten Jackson children. She appeared on the sitcom Good Times from 1977 to 1979, then on Diff’rent Strokes from 1980 to 1984. Next came a role on the musical drama Fame in 1984 and 1985. She signed with A&M Records in 1982, the year her debut album, Janet Jackson, came out.

Janet Jackson after Control: films, albums and tours (1993–2026)

Janet Jackson made her lead film debut opposite Tupac Shakur in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice in 1993. That same year she released janet., her fifth studio album. The Velvet Rope followed in 1997, and its world tour was filmed as Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope Tour (1998), where she appears as herself.

All for You (2001) gave Janet Jackson her tenth US number-one single. Next came the albums Damita Jo (2004), 20 Y.O. (2006), Discipline (2008) and Unbreakable (2015). Her Together Again tour ran from April 2023 to October 2024. It played 94 shows to more than 834,000 people and became the highest-grossing tour of her career. A Las Vegas residency at Resorts World followed in 2024–2025, and in 2026 she performed concerts in Japan. At the Singapore Grand Prix in October 2026, she hinted at new music on stage.

Selected film and TV work of Janet Jackson

Year	Title	Role	Type
1998	Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope Tour	Herself	Concert film
1993	Poetic Justice	—	Film
1984–1985	Fame	—	TV series
1980–1984	Diff’rent Strokes	—	TV series
1977–1979	Good Times	—	TV series

Janet Jackson awards and recognition

• 2019 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was inducted as a performer, more than three decades after Control.
• 2018 – MTV Europe Music Award for Global Icon. The award honored her worldwide influence on pop music and performance.
• 2008 – GLAAD Vanguard Award. She received the honor in the year she released Discipline.
• 1992 – NAACP Image Award, Chairman’s Award. It came in the years after Rhythm Nation 1814 and its tour.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has a star on the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

FAQ

– Does Janet Jackson still tour?

Yes. Janet Jackson toured from 2023 to 2024 with Together Again, played a Las Vegas residency in 2024–2025 and performed in Japan in 2026.

– What is Janet Jackson’s most successful song?

Janet Jackson has had ten US number-one singles, including “That’s the Way Love Goes” (1993) and “All for You” (2001). Many listeners also name “Rhythm Nation” as her signature song.

– Is Janet Jackson the youngest child?

Yes. Janet Jackson is the tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family.

– How old is Janet Jackson?

Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana. She is 60 (as of November 2026).

Header photo: Rich Esteban / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, resized