First of all, I'd love to win Grammys.
It's something I want to do and
Academy awards, and I'd love to be labeled as one of the greatest entertainers.
I mean, I have such a long ways to go and I have
so much more to study, but I plan to get there someday.
Having a name, Jackson, has that been a help to you or a hindrance?
It's been a great advantage. By having
the last name Jackson, it just made it a lot easier for me to do what I want to do.
It's still hard though, at the same time.
There are a lot of advantages and a lot of disadvantages to having the last name.
I mean, wanting to do something on your own.
It's very difficult because you have to prove yourself because of the name.
Did you ever wish, even just for a moment, that you had a different surname?
Erm yea.
I have before, sure.
To be totally honest with you,
I didn't want to have my last name attached
because I wanted people to enjoy my music for me.
I wanted to make it solely on my own.
I wanted people to enjoy my music or hate my music, just for me,
not because I was the sister of these guys or girls, really.
I didn't want anyone to know that I was a Jackson when I first started in this business.
Did it worry you that you may never reach
their success level. It makes me work a lot harder.
It doesn't worry me because
I have built up a lot of confidence within myself.
Why did you choose
Jam and Lewis and not like a household name, Quincy Jones, Michael Amadei?
Well, the reason why I wouldn't choose Quincy is because I feel
like that to my brothers and that, you know, he they belong together
and I wouldn't want to mess with that.
I wanted to do this album on my own,
along with A&M and Jimmy Jam and my dad's management and John.
But I didn't want any of my brothers
or sisters to have anything to do with it because I wanted to know that the public
they were going to accept this album
and buy it for me, not because my brother wrote this song or produced this one
and my sister sang on this one with me. But because of me. But I tried my hardest,
I never had my brothers participate, in any way, on
my projects. He had asked me when I had done the Rhythm Nation album
to do a song with him, but I wouldn't. Why not?
I hadn't felt like I had come into my own yet.
I didn't want anyone to think I was riding on his coattails.
I never wanted the help of my family.
I wanted to make it on my own.
That's tough to do when so much of who you are and what you are is tied to
this family that is in exactly the same business that you're in.
Has there ever been an element of competition between you and your brothers.
Never, there's envy, no jealousy, envy.
Like, with Thriller. Broke so many records. Like God.
Why couldn't I do that? Why couldn't that be me?
But we were always very, very happy for him and very excited.
Very, very excited.
Did you think Michael was going to be a super superstar?
I never thought about it.
I remember him playing me his Thriller album in his car when he hadn't completed it.
And I thought it was the most incredible thing I'd ever heard.
But I never thought, God, this is going to take him over the top and
he's going to be the biggest star in the world.
I didn't think of it like that.
He was still my brother.
You were closest to Michael? Yes.
Yeah. And you say now that you and he
are most alike, um, we have a lot in common.
I mean, our love for animals,
the way we think about business and our careers. I am very competitive and so is he.
But it's a friendly competitiveness and that's just the way we were raised.
I'd love to sell more albums than he did. Are you kidding?
I'd be crazy to say no. Do you feel competitive with him?
I'm competitive with everyone, including him.
Yes
he's my brother.
It's different, though, because he's my brother. I love him.
Competitive in the way that you want to sell more albums? As many albums?
Yes. Yes.
I appreciate the truth.
What's the future? Are you gonna outstrip your brother?
I'm gonna what? Gonna outstrip your brothers?
Is there a long term goal?
A long term number one spot that you're aiming for?
I mean, what do you want to be doing in another twenty four years?
I guess to have the biggest selling album.
That sounds familiar. Sure does doesn't it?
Yeah, but that's the truth.
I mean, with Thriller, I was so happy for him.
We were all so happy for him. But I was going, god why couldn't that be me?
You really have used him as kind of your
bellwether to success, to knowing that, hey, he's done this.
All right, now I've got another goal to shoot for.
Yeah, that's the way its pretty much been.
It's strange because I never look back
and think about the things that I've accomplished,
thinking of everything that I have to do that I haven't done.
That's a very difficult thing for me.
And seeing all the things that he's
accomplished and saying, OK, I've gotta, you know, I've got to keep growing.
I've got to keep pushing forward, moving on. On and upwards.
They're proud of me. They really are. They're really,
really happy. They were excited to come to the concert in L.A. and
they've just been so proud of me.
Is Michael happy about your career?
Yeah, he expresses all the time how
proud he is of me.
He's always giving me advice.
Slow down, look back and enjoy and don't work too hard.
And if this tour becomes too difficult
for you, you take your rest, you take your time off.
Do you ever concern yourself that as you continue to grow in your career,
that maybe that friendly competition will no longer be quite as friendly?
No never, its never been a thought in my mind.
It's always been friendly and it always will be.
It seems to be a family trait to produce epic videos.
Michael has over the years pushed
the boundaries and set the pace for all with his mega productions and budgets.
Janet likewise has set a precedent
with her work and recently beat her brother for a Grammy.
I just was really surprised to find out that I won a Grammy over-
with our Rhythm Nation cassette over his, his Smooth Criminal cassette.
That was really, I was shocked, I was surprised.
I was happy.
I bet he's not happy about you starting to knock his records off.
Well that we don't talk about.
So there is competition?
Well, Michael's very competitive too, but he's wishing me the best,
he really is. And telling me this and that, kick butt, do this and do that.
So he's very supportive.
In 1996, Jackson renewed a contact with Virgin Records for a record breaking
eighty dollars million. The highest paid performer of all time.
Oh God.
How do you deal with that? How do I deal with it?
Yeah? I don't think about that.
I don't think about that at all.
Not the salary part. I'm not asking about that.
I'm asking more the
you command that for your talent and what you do on stage.
Well, I said this before, I really don't think about that. Being the highest paid.
I mean, really.
Did it shock me?
No, this was my 9:00 to 5:00. It was my work.
And I got this.
I mean, I hate to make it sound like this,
but it was like, OK, you get a promotion, but what a huge promotion it was.
But I'm doing my job and I try to do it
to the best of my ability and give my all when I when I do it.
And I work very, very hard.
Me and Janet really are two different people.
Michael's little joke, but for his sister, Janet, it means a lot.
She's finally on the way out of her brother's shadow.
You're famous, very talented.
And yet, have you ever sat down
to an interview and not been asked about your brother Michael?
Yes, I think probably twice maybe in my life.
It doesn't happen very often though.
Would there ever be a day that you and Michael would
maybe do a mini tour together? That would actually see Janet and Michael together?
You know, I don't know.
I really don't know.
We've never talked about it.
Would you do an album together?
I don't think so.
Why not?
I think, well I can't speak for him, but I think it would be a little too much.
What do you think of your brother and his transition over the years?
You know, I really don't talk about my brother really anymore.
That's a decision I've made for myself.
Good for you.
So when you heard he was going to have a baby, were you happy about that?
I was very happy.
And here we are talking about my brother again.
I won't bring it up again.
Janet's feeling real good about herself.
You also wrote in this article about
growing up and you said, when I was five, the Jackson five were at their height as
the world's most popular boy band. Along with everyone else,
I watched them on TV.
We were always apart
and the great distance between us has
never been bridged. With all of them? Just with Michael? No with all of them.
I was close to my brothers
growing up and I would miss them a great deal when they would go out on tour.
So it's still the same.
Everyone's doing their own thing.
When the last time you talked to Michael?
It'll be two years in December.
It's been a long time.
Is there a reason? No.
Other than, I mean, no animosity, nothing like that.
The reason is he's just finished his tour.
You don't have no AT&T cards or nothing?
But when you're on tour, you try to get as much rest as you possibly can.
Meetings all day long or if you're working out that as well.
So there's no animosity. No.
You just haven't picked up the phone? No.
Well, actually, honestly, I have.
But he didn't return a couple calls, and it's no big thing.
She had a legendary collaboration with her brother, Michael.
But when he and her other brothers
at a tribute concert at Madison Square Garden, she wasn't there.
And everyone wondered did you watch Michael and the guys?
Yes I did, my brothers.
I loved it.
I miss them.
I miss seeing them and I so badly wanted
to be there and I couldn't because I had a show to do.
Janet, I am so thrilled
that you are being honored tonight as an icon.
No one deserves this more than you.
You have achieved so much and will only keep climbing higher and higher.
Your talent knows no boundaries.
I love you and I am honored and proud to be your brother.