Janet Jackson Wiki: Singer, Net Worth, Concert & Facts To Know

Janet Jackson was born on May 16th, 1966 in Gary, Indiana to Katherine Esther and Joe Jackson. Janet was the youngest of 10 children in the Jackson family and began her career as a performer with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. Jackson was born to a lower-middle class family who were devout Jehovah's Witnesses, although Janet would later refrain from any type of organized religion. At a very young age, Jackson's brothers began performing as The Jackson 5 in the Chicago, Illinois and Gary, Indiana area.

The Jackson 5 signed a record deal with Motown in March of 1969, and soon had their first number-one hit. The Jackson family moved to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles shortly after. Jackson performed at the MGM Casino on the Las Vegas strip at the age of 7. Janet Jackson and all of her brothers had a difficult upbringing, which is well known. A biography later revealed that her father, the infamous Joe Jackson, was withdrawn emotionally from the family, even telling Jackson to address him solely by his first name when she was a child.

Janet Jackson is the only Jackson child to step out from her older brother, Michael Jackson's shadow. She was one of the biggest recording artists of the 1980's and 1990's. Having sold over 100 million albums, Jackson is one of the most successful recording artists of all time. Janet became a pop icon following the release of her third album, Control in 1986. Control featured the The Pleasure Principle as a single and The Pleasure Principle was an anthem for women that many female artists, like Beyonce, would use a blueprint in later years. Rhythm Nation followed that album with a massive tour, where Jackson proved what a force she was to be reckoned with.

Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records in 1991, this established her as one of the highest-paid artists in the industry. While the Rhythm Nation album proved how successful Janet Jackson could be on her own, it was her 5th album that changed everything. Janet was an absolute masterpiece and turned Janet Jackson into the biggest star in the world, arguably bigger than her brother, Michael Jackson.

Janet Jackson became an international superstar when she released her 5th studio album, Janet in May of 1993. Jackson also started to explore her sexuality and with that, became known for her beauty as much as her dynamic performances as a singer, dancer and actor. Jackson started acting at a very young age, with her brothers on their variety show in the 70's and landed other television roles throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Fame. Janet Jackson made her film debut in Poetic Justice in 1993. Her performance in Poetic Justice, which also starred the late Tupac Shakur, was described as "beguiling" and "believably eccentric." Jackson's love ballad "Again", which she wrote for the film, received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for "Best Original Song." Jackson would go on to star in popular films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps in 2000, Why Did I Get Married? in 2007, Why Did I Get Married Too? & For Colored Girls, both in 2010. Janet proved to be a great actress and just an powerful onscreen as she is onstage, whether singing or dancing in her spectacular and provocative shows. She is also known for her infamous performance at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in February of 2004, alongside Justin Timberlake, she received a lot of attention and bad publicity for the infamous "wardrobe malfunction."

Janet Jackson has accumulated a net worth of $175 million dollars over the last few decades. Combined with her ex-husband, Wissam Al Mana, who has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, they were one of the most powerful couples in the world. Jackson and Al Mana split in April after 5 years of marriage and share custody on their 11-month-old son Eissa. Janet Jackson has been under scrutiny from a young age and her love life into her adult years has been no exception. The singer has been married 3 times, with her second to Rene Elizondo, married from 1991-2000, being kept a secret until after it was over.

Her first marriage was to husband James DeBarge, which only lasted one year from 1984-1985 and with her recent marriage ending in April of 2017, Jackson has been seen out with former boyfriend Jermaine Dupri. Jermaine Dupri, the successful and talented producer and musician was always close with Jackson and the two were very close to getting married in the early 2000's. Janet Jackson is a fighter and always perseveres, she is currently on her "State Of The World" Tour which has received great reviews. If nothing else, Janet Jackson knows how to put on a great concert and always keeps things interesting on tour.