Janet Jackson: Unbelievable. Unstoppable. Unbreakable.
Photography
LOUIS CHRISTOPHER
Interview
LYNDSEY STEVEN
Style
ROBERT BEHAR
But no one’s gonna find Miss Jackson, Panic! At The Disco famously sang in their 2013 “Miss Jackson” hit. They were right on the money. While the Emirates Woman
team were on set to style and direct our cover shoot – coaxing out
Janet’s more playful side in the process – far most part she was sweetly
coy and extremely private, retreating to a sanctuary far from the
madding crowd.
And so the scene was similarly set for a very intimate event for Janet Jackson in a suit at Dubai’s Armani hotel in order for her to showcase her brand sparkling new Unbreakable Diamonds collection along with business partner Paul Raps of Paul Raps New York. The VIP guests craned to catch a glimpse of one of the world’s most recognizable and celebrated woman – so famous that minders, managers and a multitude of media are de rigueur for this daintly star.
According to her business partner, Janet’s nature shines in harmony with the collection: “Janet is truly a special, gracious person,’ says Paul. ‘After having the pleasure of meeting with Janet, it was then that I realized her prestige, elegance, class and strive for perfection were the most ideal personifications to represent the most exclusive, beautifully exquisite line of extraordinarily designed diamond jewelry”.
Unbreakable – also the name of Janet’s latest album
and her tour that has now been put on hold – reflects all aspects of the
artist. According to Jimmy Jam, of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, American R&B songwriter and production team associate of Janet Jackson since the 1980s: “It talks about her unbreakable bond with her fans and her family, with her faith and with her friends.
And I also think it’s an album where you have to life a lot of life in
order to really be able to verbalize and lyricize those thoughts”.
Back in the Armani Hotel and a fresh-faced Janet emerges from behind closed doors with her Qatari billionaire husband, Wissam Al Mana,
who gallantly escorts her through the room; the star, dressed in a
abaya with her hair tumbling down her back like a modern-day Rapunzel,
protesting all the while in a sweet, sotto voce about how “shy” she is.
But is possible for an award-winning recording artist and actress,
who started her career as a nipper when she first appeared on stage
with the Jackson 5, to genuinely be this coy? Especially given she grew
up in the spotlight and went on to become one of the biggest-selling pop
artists in history with 35 number one hits and five Grammys. Not to mention her countless performances
in front of thousands of excitable fans and her acting roles on both
small and big screen. Plus her seminal influence on music videos that cemented her status as a pop icon. Then again, Janet as always been an enigma.
“Janet is pretty shy, but only when you
don’t know her well. I think when you know her well, she’s not shy at
all,” says Jimmy of the youngest member of the Jackson family. One of
her oldest friends, puts a slightly different spin on it: “Anybody who
has been around Janet for any period of time will tell you the same
thing… That she is humble to a fault. She will not take credit for the things she is responsible for. She will always say, ‘we did it’ instead of ‘I did it”, he says.
Of course, it’s a common myth that all
musicians and actors are extroverts. Many of the best performers are
actually very reserved and it’s tenable, that it is music – more
importantly, her music – that switches her on.
“I think music is really the power for
her; it’s why she can perform in front of people”, says Jimmy of the
ingénue turned actress turned music mainstay. “She enjoys the energy and the feedback that the audience gives
– she feels that instant recognition of a song, people singing along
with her. It’s a friendly environment and she feels she’s amongst a
group out there and performs because she feels comfortable on stage.”
And there lies the dichotomy when it
comes to her fans. On one hand she is as loyal to them as they are to
her. But she is also relishing her new-found privacy and her quieter life in the Middle East as the wife of 41-year-old Wissam who manages a Middle Eastern empire
of 55 companies involving fashion, media, engineering and real estate.
(As an interesting aside, economist Sam Wilkin writes in his book,
Wealth Secrets of One Percent that there are only 1.826 billionaires in
the whole world.) Way to go Janet.
With sources revealing that Janet never
previously considered offspring an “essential” part of her ‘fulfillment”
and international only magazine MadameNoire writing that she did not
panic about not having kids of her own due to the abundance of nieces
and nephews in her family circle, same are now suggesting that it is her
new circumstance and her role as a happily married woman which has led
to this happy – albeit unexpected – announcement.
Even her social media messages are often conundrums, littered with cryptic clues
of a far more clandestine life. While Janet never declared she’s
actually pregnant, she did announce in a video on her Twitter account
(just after out shoot) that she and her husband were “planning their
family”, which meant delaying her Unbreakable Tour. “We’re in the second
leg of the tour and there’s been a sudden change”, she said, “I have to
rest up, doctor’s orders, but I have not forgotten about you and will
continue the tour as soon as I can.”You have to give the woman props: for all the fame, she’s remained famously private – determined that her life not become tabloid fodder. In spite of this, or perhaps because of this, she continuously manages to surprise us. She’s come full circle in her career, breaking away from her father and becoming a superstar in her own right as opposed to being known as Michael’s baby sister (she was his closest friend and confidant – he used to call her Dunk). In spite of her public discretion, it’s clear she still calls the shots.
“Nobody’s putting words in her mouth or telling her what to sing or how to dance or how to look or anything”,
says Jimmy. “She is in total control of that. I think you certainly see
another side of her in front of the camera, but it’s always very honest, it always is the same coming from the same heart and same soul.”
Perhaps her enigma lies in her ability
to assume multifarious identities – both in her public persona and her
behind the scenes working life. As Jimmy says: “She makes timeless
music. It’s music that’s rooted in great melodies and great lyrics and
there are many sides to Janet. There’s the rock side, like ‘Black Cat’, there’s a more sensual side like ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’, there’s the funky side with ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’ or ‘Nasty’ and songs like that. She makes it so it’s a whole experience and so you don’t get tired of what she does because it’s not the same thing all the time. It’s really a wide array of different songs and different tempos and different textures and all of that”.
Significantly, it’s talent that doesn’t come with an expiration date.
She’s paced herself –there’s usually a three to four year gap between
albums – which, Jimmy says, has helped her to live an exciting life
while still being able to take time off. “That makes you a complete
artist and it definitely helps your longevity.”
What’s more, she’s not yet ready to bow out.
“We can definitely expect more albums from Janet”, says Jimmy. “I say
that because of how much fun we had making Unbreakable. Going into it,
we knew what we were setting up to try to do, which was to make a great
album that spoke of creative things so you may see her do a whole lot of
different things and really kind of mixing, the different medias which
is something she does really well. I’m excited about the future for her,
but definitely would hope to be in the studio making some new music very soon.“
So while Janet’s impending motherhood
may be her focus for now, the surprise specialist still has plenty
saved up her sleeves. Until then, she plans to lead her life as anonymously as possibly. Because when you’re as famous as Ms Jackson, who can blame you from not wanting anyone to find you?
Source: Janetbr.com