Billboard Celebrates "janet." - Janet Confirms New Album

[Mr. Wonder]

Janet Jackson Talks 'janet.' 20th Anniversary & New Album: Exclusive

Janet Jackson's "janet." celebrates its 20th anniversary today, May 18. Her groundbreaking fifth album has sold over 7 million copies and spawned six Hot 100 singles. The album was a sexual awakening for both Jackson and American culture. Hits like "That's The Way Love Goes" and "Any Time, Any Place" were some of the most sexually frank to reach the upper reaches of the charts at the time.

Janet Jackson, 'janet.': Classic Track-By-Track Review

Though she's kept a low profile since 2011, when she released her self-help memoir "True You" and toured behind her "Number Ones" greatest hits set, Janet Jackson spoke with Billboard for an exclusive Q&A where she revisits the making of "janet.," discusses its current influence and teases her next album ("I am working on a new project now.").

May 18 marks the 20th anniversary of "janet." How would you describe what that album captures about your life at that time?

I can’t believe it is already 20 years! I always write my music based on what is going on in my life at the time. I wanted to allow people in... I want my fans to really know me. The ‘janet’ album was sexual and I was beginning to really discover that side of me.

Although you worked primarily with Jimmy and Terry again on "janet.," you explore a lot of different genres on that album - from dance to soul to rock to opera on "This Time." Did you have to fight to keep some of the bolder songs on there - was anyone telling you this wasn't "pop" enough?

I’ve been exposed to all types of great music. I like to collaborate on my music. The creative process is fun and you get a lot of ideas from having discussions about it. Ultimately, the final decision is mine.

There are musical references and direct samples of janet. songs all over the place now, most notably on Kendrick Lamar's "Poetic Justice." Have you heard most of these re-interpretations (Moon Boots' "Sugar," which samples "If," How To Dress Well's cover of "Again," MNEK's "That's The Way Love Goes" etc?) And how does it feel to see your work have such impact on new artists?

I have listened to the music that is out there and I love Kendrick’s "Poetic Justice." There are artists, true performers that have come before me who have been a big inspiration to me. I hope I do the same for others.

Several of the songs on janet. and their accompanying videos were groundbreaking at the time for their overt sexuality. Why was it so important for you to express that part of yourself in your work, and how did you convince others around you at the time to let you take those risks?

Like I said before, I write about my experiences or things that touch me deeply. I was really beginning to get in tune with my sexual self. This is what I wanted to express so I did. The decision to move forward in an artistic way is mine. I didn’t need to convince anyone.

The videos and tour for "janet." featured some iconic choreography from Tina Landon, most notably on 'If.' Do you have a favorite dance or video from that period?

Tina Landon and Omar Lopez choreographed "If". I love "That’s The Way Love Goes," "You Want This" and especially "If." I don’t think people really realize what we were showing in that video that wasn’t available with technology then. The video featured futuristic technology, specifically high definition touch screens. I wanted the actors in the video to use these screens to communicate, and relate with each other in the clubs. Similar to what we all do with our smart phones and tablets today. As I look at our lives now, it seems that life is imitating art. I have seen different elements from all of these videos in lots of artists work and it’s a great feeling to know that you have inspired them in such a way.

Many artists cite you as a role model and a huge influence on their career and image. Which artists today do you admire?

I'm flattered that other artists consider me a role model. I’m really enjoying what Bruno Mars and Adele are doing, a lot of artistry there.

It's been five years since your last album, and nearly four since your last single. Have you been working on new music, and when can we expect it if so?

I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music. I am excited about the direction we are taking. I don’t want to rush it... I don’t want to put a time constraint on the creative process.

http://m.billboard.c..._source=twitter

[Mr. Wonder]

Get your gifs girls!

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

[Maxence]

lmao

[J.]

[HollyHood]

[Utopia]

<khjlsfl< OOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. SHE GONNA DO IT... I CAN'T DEAL

[Reyna ♔]

[Kim]

We are ready to receive your blessings, Mother Janhova.

[Kim]

Front page of Billboard.com:

[bu.]

"I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music. I am excited about the direction we are taking. I don’t want to rush it... I don’t want to put a time constraint on the creative process."

So after 3/4 years she's still at the 'beginning stage' thinking about concept and direction?

[Kim]

Janet Jackson, 'janet.': Classic Track-By-Track Review

Which of 'janet.''s 28 tracks (there's a lot of interludes) has endured the most? Read on for our classic track-by-track review.

"Control" may have been her breakout, and "Rhythm Nation 1814" her breakthrough with a whopping seven singles reaching the top 5 of the Hot 100 (the only album to do so.) But Janet Jackson's "janet.," which turns 20 on May 18, may be her real creative triumph.

Released the day after Jackson's 27th birthday, "janet." finds the singer fully embracing her womanhood and sexuality in ways she barely touched upon on previous releases. Gone was the chaste teenager who sang "Let's Wait Awhile," and in her place was a woman who wanted to get it on in public and "boom boom boom until noon noon noon," as she memorably purrs on "Throb." Released seven months after Madonna's "Erotica," "janet." arrived at a time where female pop stars were just beginning to put sex front and center in their image (the cover of "janet." was a cropped shot of her infamous topless "Rolling Stone" cover) as well as their pop songs, and with often thrilling results.

Produced largely by longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, "janet." is both a product of its era (the New Jack Swing sound of the early 90s infiltrates its way into singles like "Because of Love" and "You Want This") and utterly timeless (Kendrick Lamar's recent top 30 hit "Poetic Justice" is not only built around Janet's "Any Time Any Place," its title is of course a reference to her title role in John Singleton movie, also released in 1993.) It was also one of the first major pop albums to incorporate between-song spoken-word interludes, a practice that has now become commonplace on R&B and hip-hop albums ranging from "CrazySexyCool" and "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" to, more recently, Lamar's own "Good Kidd M.A.A.D. City."

Other musical references to "janet." have been popping up all over the indie circuit in the past year alone, from How To Dress Well's sincere, stripped-down cover of "Again" to Moon Boots' "If"-sampling "Sugar" to British singer MNEK's reverent cover of "That's The Way Love Goes." And beyond "janet.," the Jam/Lewis Minneapolis sound has been revived quite a bit on new record from The-Dream to Inc. to recent Mad Decent signing LIZ, whose single "XTC" all but lifts the synths from the "Rhythm Nation" era.

Jackson herself has been quiet on the music front in recent years, with 2008's "Discipline" already a distant memory with only one charting single and only a handful of tracks released in the years since (2009's "Make Me," 2010's "Nothing.") In a March 2012 interview with That Grape Juice, Jackson indicated she would be spending last summer putting together a new album. But any progress seems to have been shelved for the time being after she secretly married Wissam Al Mana.

"Janet." has sold 7.04 million copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and spawned 6 Hot 100 hits, all of which made the top 10, and two all the way to number one — "That's The Way Love Goes" (eight weeks) and "Again" (two weeks.) Two B-sides from the project, "70s Love Groove" and "And On & On," were included on the singles for "You Want This" and "Any Time, Any Place," respectively.

Which of "janet."'s 28 tracks (there's a lot of interludes) has endured the most? Read on for our classic track-by-track review.

1. "Morning"

Setting the tone for Janet's most intimate album to date, this 31-second intro puts it out there straight out the gate. "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon / we used the light from a flickering candle across the room," Janet says in a near-whisper, "to make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make. Love."

2. "That's The Way Love Goes"

That indelible refrain: "Like a moth to the flame / burned by the fire / my love is blind / can't you see my desire?" That slinky Jam & Lewis beat. Even at 20 years old, this Janet jam can still ignite any house party, much like the one in its music video. Janet leaves the flirting to the kids and instead lets her guard down for her lover ("Come closer baby closer / reach out and feel my body.")

3. "You Know."

Another interlude, this one even more direct. [ding dong] "You know you want me."

4. "You Want This"

One of the few places where "janet." finds Jam & Lewis keeping up with the genre trends of the time, but with a generous hat tip to the past — Diana Ross & The Supremes' "Love Child" is memorably sampled in the intro, and Jackson channels The Isley Brothers on the outro ("just a little bit louder now / a little bit softer now"). Another come-hither track that shows Jackson calling the shots, rather than waiting for a man's permission. And in the video, another chance to show off her bangin' body.

5. "Be A Good Boy" (Interlude)

As in, "Be a good boy and put this on." There's a lot of sex on "janet.," but she makes it known here that it's all safe.

6. "If"

Another Supremes sample, this time the strings from "Someday We'll Be Together," anchors the climax of this rockin' dance track, which is perhaps more inseparable from its iconic music video than any of "janet."'s other singles based on its head-slapping choreography. Though Jackson lets her mind race with naughty thoughts ("You on the rise as you're touchin' my thighs / And let me know what you like if you like I'll go / Down down down down da down down"), she ultimately stops herself from going after someone else's man ("But I'm not / so I can't / then I won't / But if I was your girl.")

7. "Back" (Interlude)

Enough with the sex for a moment. "I'm giving you back," Janet growls.

8. "This Time"

Featuring vocals from opera singer Kathleen Battle, things take a dramatic return on "This Time," a break-up anthem that finds Janet kissing off an ex a la "Black Cat." But this track has even more ambitions than the "Rhythm Nation" rock song, stretching out to nearly seven minutes with suites of swirling strings and ghostly warbles from Battle as Jackson sings the chorus with increased urgency. "You're dismissed," she finally sniffs at the end.

9. "Go On Miss Janet" (Interlude)

Things are about to get "Nasty," only this time Janet's the one serving all the filth.

10. "Throb"

No need for metaphors here. "I can feel your body / pressed against my body / Wrap yourself around me / Love to feel you throbbing," Janet sings amid heavy moans, C&C Music Factory-esque beats and an infectious sax loop. If the production sounds a little dated now, the overtly sexual vibes on this track are pretty timeless – and still risqué for the early 90s. Famed remixer Peter Rauhofer still likes "Throb" so much, he issued a special 2013 remix on Valentine's Day.

11. "What'll I Do"

Janet travels from the 90s to the 70s on this throwback, guitar-driven funk track — "janet."'s sole non-Jam & Lewis cut (it was produced by Jellybean Johnson.) Much like "Black Cat," which took the singer out of her known comfort zones, "What'll I Do" is the sound of Janet doing her best James Brown impression with a live band in an intimate club somewhere in the Twin Cities.

12. "The Lounge" (Interlude)

Some muffled applause for Janet's stylistic bravery.

13. "Funky Big Band"

Sounding almost like a holdover from the 1940s vibes of "Rhythm Nation"'s "Alright," "Funky Big Band" shifts the settings from Minneapolis to Harlem on this tribute to famed jazz club Lennox Lounge. "Got to be real," Janet advises. "He who knows it feels it."

14. "Racism"

Time to get topical. "And to a world sick with racism, get well soon."

15. "New Agenda"

Featuring guest raps from Chuck D, Janet shows she hasn't abandoned her political leanings. "Because of my agenda / I've heard no too many times / Because of my race / I've heard no too many times," Janet sings. Though Public Enemy was releasing some of the most hot-button raps at the time, Chuck D plays things relatively safe, largely asking people "to step it up, step it up" and "give it a little bit" to pay respect for "all that we've been through."

16. "Love Part 2" (Interlude)

"That's The Way Love Goes" in reverse.

17. "Because Of Love"

A song as effortlessly sweet as Janet's famous smile, "Because of Love" celebrates romance outside the bedroom. Diana Ross isn't directly sampled here as she is on other tracks, but the spirit of the Supremes is heavily felt on this upbeat track.

18. "Wind" (Interlude)

A transitional breeze before it's time to get sentimental.

19."Again"

"What you're getting is not a report of a feeling, but a sonic presentation of the feeling." That's what How To Dress Well's Tom Krell told Billboard in March of "Again," a song he's covered both on record and at live shows for its honest portrayal of emotions in real time. "I love Tevin Campbell, I love Montell Jordan, but I would never cover ‘This Is How We Do It' or ‘No Diggity' or whatever. Those are jams and if they come on at a party at 3 a.m. I'm gonna be shamelessly stoked, but they don't do what this song does." By the time Jackson pleas at the song's close, seemingly choking back tears, "Cause I've fallen in love with you again," it's hard not to get misty even after countless listens.

20. "Another Lover" (Interlude)

"I would sooner grow old all alone than to ever have another lover," Jackson vows.

21. "Where Are You Now"

"I was too young to understand my love / But now I realize my mistake," Janet sings on this quiet-storm R&B cut, which some could interpret as an ode to her first, short-lived marriage to singer James DeBarge from 1984 to 1985.

22. "Hold On Baby" (Interlude)

Janet's taken a break from sex talk for awhile, but get ready – there's more.

23. "The Body That Loves You"

Modern flourishes of bossa nova permeate this gentle ballad, on which Janet promises a lover who's on the road, "Love / Sensual, physical love / is waiting here for you."

24. "Rain" (Interlude)

There's a quiet storm a-brewin'...

25. "Any Time, Any Place"

Radio favored the abbreviated R. Kelly remix of this oh-so-sexy slow jam (shown above), but the seven-and-a-half minute original is a stone-cold classic. Janet would go on to write way too many TMI songs about sex in the albums after "janet.," but this sax-and-fingersnaps ballad leaves just enough to the imagination to still be sweetly romantic — even if she "don't care who's around" during her public lovemaking.

26. "Are You Still Up" (Interlude)

Looks like someone's ready for one more round. It's still raining outside, but Janet's got her own ideas on how to stay entertained indoors.

27. "Sweet Dreams" (Interlude)

And now, time for bed.

28. "Whoops Now" (Hidden Bonus Track)

The unofficial sequel to "Escapade," "Whoops Now" is a bubbly, near-throwaway track about playing hooky to take a group vacay to Anguilla. "It makes no difference if you love work or not / If you dream your weekend / hand on the doorknob / Out with your friends / fun in the sun / And that's when the phone rings," she says, "Next time he calls he'll hear my voice / saying loud and clear / Whoops now sorry I can't go."

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1562833/janet-jackson-janet-classic-track-by-track-review

[Shawn1814]

"I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music. I am excited about the direction we are taking. I don’t want to rush it... I don’t want to put a time constraint on the creative process."

So after 3/4 years she's still at the 'beginning stage' thinking about concept and direction?

A lot has happened since she first said that..

[Android]

*screams like a little girl*

[bu.]

A lot has happened since she first said that..

And I hope it's on the album

[JoeJoe]

I love how they brought up Moon Boots "Sugar"!!! I hope Janet listens to it. I'm so happy we get another album and did y'all notice she said she's trying new stuff...a new direction. I think it means she's gonna explore again like she did with "Slo Love", "Rock With U", and a few other tracks that we didn't expect from her.

[bu.]

I love how they brought up Moon Boots "Sugar"!!! I hope Janet listens to it. I'm so happy we get another album and did y'all notice she said she's trying new stuff...a new direction. I think it means she's gonna explore again like she did with "Slo Love", "Rock With U", and a few other tracks that we didn't expect from her.

I'm eager for the new direction! She has songs on every album that people wouldn't have expected from someone like Janet. Black Cat, This Time, Trust A Try etc. Imagine a full album of that kind of thing

[Utopia]

She better not serve me light and fun though . I will go AWF

And YES at all the praise Janice album is getting, It's not my fav from the big 4 but i love the impact of the album. Gurls making articles and thangs about how iconic it is, getting front page of big publications, ... When will the lessors?!

[Reyna ♔]

"I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music. I am excited about the direction we are taking. I don’t want to rush it... I don’t want to put a time constraint on the creative process."

So after 3/4 years she's still at the 'beginning stage' thinking about concept and direction?

Shhhhhhh! You'll scare her away We've waited for so long

[ray.]

[jarrylf]

This whole damn page & every article & every word celebrating my fave Janet album/era with her actually talking about a new 1

I would love it tho if she said that just to throw us off and have it be a huge suprise when she releases....I'd love it if she were like almost done...and we're none the wiser about it LOL.

[JoeJoe]

That Grapejuice.net is so excited they Called her the Queen of Pop and got the Beyonce fans upset. If you're a Beyonce fan don't click on the link cause they are reading her down to her gravestone in the comments section

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2013/05/janet-jackson-working-project/#comment-2858335

[s.omner]

[Bailey]

[Utopia]

There are musical references and direct samples of janet. songs all over the place now, most notably on Kendrick Lamar's "Poetic Justice." Have you heard most of these re-interpretations (Moon Boots' "Sugar," which samples "If," How To Dress Well's cover of "Again," MNEK's "That's The Way Love Goes" etc?) And how does it feel to see your work have such impact on new artists?

I have listened to the music that is out there and I love Kendrick’s "Poetic Justice." There are artists, true performers that have come before me who have been a big inspiration to me. I hope I do the same for others.

]I love Kendrick’s "Poetic Justice.

I love Kendrick’s "Poetic Justice.