JANET JACKSON: IN CONTROL

Janet Jackson has taken the reigns, according to her latest hit album, Control, and she means it. Janet has taken control of her career and of her entire life. “This is a very special record to me,” Janet says about her third album. “It expresses exactly who I am and how I feel. I’ve taken control of my life.”

As a modern woman in rock, Janet has worked long and hard to get where she is today. She has become the black queen of rock for the ’80s; kind of a young Aretha Franklin. Janet is proving that women can make it in rock ’n’ roll and she is paving the way for other performers.

Janet’s colorful career started at a very young age when she joined her brothers onstage to sing at their concerts and on their TV show. But Janet was known simply as one of the Jackson children or the sister of the Jackson 5. She wanted to be known as Janet Jackson, paving her own road to success. Janet went into acting, and at the age of 10 she was cast on the hit TV show Good Times. She played Penny, an abused child, and became a regular on Good Times for two seasons. Several years later, Janet made several appearances on Diff’rent Strokes, where she played Willis’ girlfriend, Charlene. Later Janet earned a role on Fame while her family was busy with the Victory tour. This period of her life taught Janet to be independent since it was the first time she lived apart from her family. “I’ve led a pretty sheltered life,” Janet confides, “so I found it exciting to be out there dealing with people by myself.”

It was during this time in her life that Janet eloped with James DeBarge. They had been friends for eight years and their elopement came as a big shock to both of their families. However, the young couple had more problems than most newlyweds. Janet and James rarely saw each other because of their conflicting work schedules, and the fact that Janet was a teenage idol made the pressures worse for the couple. But Janet reflects on this as a growing experience. “I don’t regret it. I don’t think it was a mistake. I’m happy I experienced it, and I think everything happens for a reason. It matured me.” Now that Janet has more control of her life, she would like to get married again someday, but she does not plan to rush to the altar.

Janet has taken control of her musical career, as stressed by the songs on her third album. Janet’s first two albums— Janet Jackson and Dream Street—were successful, but she had little involvement in their production, aside from the singing. Those LPs were more like Jackson family collaborations, as the music was written and produced by Janet’s older brothers. But on Control, Janet has completely taken charge. The album was designed to introduce a new, assertive Janet Jackson, and it is a new Janet that we see in such songs as “Control,” “Nasty,” and "What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

“When I’ve made records in the past, I’ve usually been given a tape of a song, learned it, and then gone into the studio and sung to a completed instrumental track,” explains Janet. “This time around,

I intended to be completely involved in the recording process; from the songwriting, to the playing, to the production.” Janet achieved her goal. She produced or coproduced the entire album. She was involved in all of the songwriting and played the keyboards and synthesizers on most of the tracks. Janet’s co-producers/writers were Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir. This successful team used to be part of the Time and produced music for such artists as Howard Johnson, Thelma Houston and the S.O.S. Band. With the help of her co-producers, Janet has come up with a distinct sound of her own, and she seems to have both critics and fans clamoring for more.

Janet recorded Control in Minneapolis at Lewis and Jam’s studio, called Flyte Time. The album was completed in less than three weeks, with Janet’s input paving every step of the way. “I was in the studio when every instrumental track was laid. I was in on every decision about how the music would sound, as well as what the lyrics would say. This album is definitely a collaborative effort.”

The lyrics on Control certainly represent the new Janet. “A lot has happened to me since Dream Street was released. I’ve experienced a great deal, and I’m much the wiser for it. I’m making decisions for myself. Control is the song that really relates my feelings these days.”

Janet’s fantastic dancing is often overlooked by her fans, who are in awe of her musical abilities. Janet’s family is full of talented dancers, and Janet is no exception. She can dance to any song with any beat, and her wide range of dancing styles is evidenced in her latest video, “The Pleasure Principle,” where she shows yet another side of her complex personality.

Janet is proud of the changes she has made and her new outlook on life. She feels that Control is a tremendous asset to her new image that she has worked so hard to attain. “I feel that this album builds my character. When we were in the studio recording I had a special feeling that everything we were doing was very good. And now that the album is successful I am so happy, really very happy.”

Now that the new Janet Jackson has arrived, everybody has reason to be happy.