Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an iconic R&B/pop artist who has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has amassed a number of awards in her illustrious music career.

Born in Gary, Indiana on May 16, 1966, Janet is the youngest of the Jackson family, who rose to prominence a few years after her birth when they signed with Motown Records. Janet joined the family business when she appeared on The Jacksons variety show in 1976, leading to her role as Penny Gordon in Season 5 of the CBS sitcom Good Times. She released two overlooked albums in the early 1980s—Janet Jackson (1982) and Dream Street (1984)—and continued to act during this time, appearing in Diff'rent Strokes and Fame.

The legend of Janet was created after she connected with the legendary Minneapolis production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to work on her seminal third album, Control. Control and her following album, 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814, featured several #1 pop hits and made her a worldwide superstar. The trio would go on work on Janet’s subsequent hit albums, including janet., The Velvet Rope, as well as her 2015 comeback album, Unbreakable.

She has won five Grammy Awards, 11 American Music Awards, and holds nine Guinness World Records, including one for the most expensive video in music history at $7 million for the song “Scream”, the 1995 collaboration with her superstar brother Michael Jackson.

Janet has influenced many pop stars, including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990, and she was selected for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.