Janet Jackson is opening up about her days as a child star.
The singer, 58, revealed in an interview with the BBC that she initially had no desire to perform or work in the entertainment industry, instead preferring to attend college and pursue business law. When her father, Joe Jackson, heard her sing her first song at age 9, however, that all changed.
Jackson said she snuck into the family’s recording studio at their home in Encino, California, and recorded the song “Fantasy” after her brothers returned from their 10-month tour in 1975.
“I laid down the drum track, I did the background vocals, I sang and I played everything on it,” she explained.
When she returned home from school the next day, Jackson said that she heard the song playing in the driveway and felt “so embarrassed.”
“The studio door was open and Mike was listening to it,” she said, referring to her late brother, Michael Jackson. “I think Randy was listening to it, my father was listening. Then my father said, ‘You’re gonna sing.’”
Jackson said she resisted his request, telling him she wanted to go to school instead.
“I said, ‘No, no, no, I want to go to the college and study business law,” she shared, adding that “it was kind of hard [to argue] because, look at where he led my brothers. So I said, ‘OK, I’ll give it a go.’”
Recommended Stories
Jackson added that she doesn’t “ever remember being asked,” if she wanted to be a child star. “I just remember doing it,” she told the BBC.
Jackson became a pop superstar, selling over 100 million records and winning five Grammy awards, according to the BBC. She released several legendary albums, including 1986’s “Control,” 1989’s “Rhythm Nation 1814,” 1993’s “Janet,” 1997’s “The Velvet Rope,” and 2001’s “All For You.” In 1990, Jackson became the first woman nominated for Best Producer at the Grammys, according to the BBC.
“That was jaw-dropping for me,” she said about her history-making nomination. “You think it should have happened a long time ago.”
