Janet Jackson

Real Name: Janet Damita Jo Jackson
Birthday: 16 May 1966 Hometown: Gary, Indiana
Biggest Hit Singles: The Best Things In Life Are Free, number two, 1992, That’s The Way Love Goes, number two, 1993
Career Highlights: Five-time Grammy Award winner, 12 Soul Train Music Award Honours

Although she spent her formative years in the shadow of her brothers who were riding high in the charts with The Jacksons, Janet emerged as a talent in her own right with the breakthrough album Control, in 1986.

Since then, she has kept up with the trends and has amassed a staggering amount of gold albums and singles, including 31 UK Top 20 hits.

She is ranked as the ninth most successful artist in the history of rock and roll and the second most successful female recording artist of all time in the US. And it was revealed in 2006 that Janet was the “Most Searched in Internet History”.

In her teens Janet’s brother Michael used to tease her about her weight, calling her “slaughter hog”! Poor Janet eventually developed a complex about her size, and her weight has yo-yo-ed ever since.

In 2004 she became embroiled in a scandal coined Nipple Gate with Justin Timberlake, when a “wardrobe malfunction” resulted in her flashing a breast during a dance routine at the Hollywood Superbowl. The show’s broadcasters, CBS, were then fined $550,000 for airing the incident.