Major Glastonbury draw Janet Jackson reveals she could've been a lawyer
As Janet Jackson gears up to play at Glastonbury, she reveals that she wanted to study law - but her father had a different path in mind for her.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Janet said: “We had a studio at my parents’ house, and we’d go in there any time of day or night and put tracks down.
“I had written this song — I’d played all the parts and sang the backgrounds — and I came home from school one day and they were playing it loudly.
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“I was 13 years old and I was just so embarrassed. That’s when my father said to me, ‘You’re going to sing.’
“I told him I wanted to go to school and study business law.
“I really wanted to make my way by acting. That was how I was going to pay for my schooling.
“He felt that God had a different path for me.”
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It has been a year since her father Joe Jackson’s death. She said of his influence: “When parents see something in their children, I guess they guide them in that direction.
“Especially when you’re talking about children who grew up in that urban area. Music was a way to keep us off the streets.
My father saw a way out for his children. A better life. And thank God for that.”
Janet first performed in Vegas at the age of seven, as she told The Sunday Times: “Two shows a day in two-week stints.
“It was gruelling and fun at the same time, being so young on stage with my family.”
By her 20th birthday, she’d had three albums out and was already a staple in the tabloids.
The wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl where her breast was briefly exposed, was a career low point.
In 1995, she sang with her brother Michael on Scream, a song that summed up their attitude to tabloid speculation.
On her superstar brother’s legacy, she said: “It will continue. I love it when I see kids emulating him, when adults still listen to his music.
“It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world. I hope I’m not sounding arrogant in any way — I’m just stating what is.
“It’s really all God’s doing, and I’m just thankful for that.”