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Janet's career

Do you think that Janet had a chance at a career due to Michael or the Jackson 5?

  • Yes

    Votes: 175 73.8%

  • no

    Votes: 62 26.2%
  • Total voters
    237
I think Janet is a brilliant singer. I used to listen to both her and MJ.

I always remember I had a 'personal cassette player' - you know, an old fashioned iPOD (!) with her tunes playing when I met my first ever boyfriend! (awww).
 
The name got her foot in the door, but her talent took her the rest of the way.
 
JDJ4EVA said:
Interesting topic on an MJ forum... What do you expect them to say... The truth is Most MJ fans dont even like Janet and cant get past thier love and admiration for Michael to recognize the talent that she has.... SHE IS THE FEMALE POP FORMULA and a true tripple threat.. every little poppy girl act that comes out specifically follows the Janet Jackson formula... She started her 30yrs PLUS long career by being an actress that led to trying music... she has 10 studio albums 6 are #1 she has the most billboard awards of any female artist... sold over 100 million albums, holds the record for female artist with the most top 5 singles off one album. Highest grossing and most successful debut Tour of any female pop act ever. Been named and Icon and a Legend by the recording industry. 5 grammy's and an Academy Award Nomination. Every MOvie she has been in opened at #1. I could go on but whats the point..... Everyone always wants to give her success to Michael. She doesnt get the respect that she deserves and after viewing some of the comments in this thread she most likely never will.... As far as the Prince comment goes... everyone knows he is a Jealous QUEEN and is mad because he felt that Jimmy and Terry gave her his sound and he cant get over it period. Longevity is not given ITS EARNED and has nothing to do with her last name more to do with the fact that the girl is THE SH*T!!
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:clapping: i couldn't have said it better myself!
 
Her last name probably helped to get her started but that would have meant nothing if she couldn't deliver. She definitely had the right producers when it mattered though.
 
I think she got her big break because of being a Jackson, but it was her talent that took her to where she is right now.
 
Cinnamon234 said:
Agreed. Having a famous last name did open doors for her in the beginning of her career, but the success she had later on and longevity that she's been able to maintain is due to Janet's talent and perseverence. She hasn't lasted this long and had all this success because of her last name. She is talented, ambitious and has worked hard to get where she is.
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also agreed. If it wasn't for her talent her career would have been like Latoya's.
 
Something that made me love her even more, is that even though she was a Jackson she had her own career didn't live off Michael.

Janet Jackson velvet rope album was on of the first albums I ever bought all on my own with my own pocket money hehe!!!

I've been a fan of hers since I could talk 17 years on and I still love her!!!!!!
 
oh hell naw!

la toya could've had a career had her stupid husband focused on her singing and not her body. it's pathetic and she could've beenjust as big. peep her new song if u think she can't sing
 
Lonely17 said:
^^^:clapping::clapping::clapping:

To say that Janet wouldn't be where she is without Mike is completely false. Without the success of the Jackson 5 there wouldn't be Mike or Janet. Let's not forget Mike's first four albums failed. If record companies looked at that for determining a solo careers (provided the Jackson 5 never existed), neither Mike or Janet would have had a chance. \. :coffee:
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W/out the success of Michael Jackson, there wouldn't be a Jackson 5 that 99% of the world has heard of. Berry Gordy has credited Michael as standing apart as a prodigy/outstanding talent in To Be Loved, his autobiography, and in recent interviews. Even the most casual music fan knows that Michael sang lead on all of their hits; further, young Michael also had solo hits and appeared solo on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1973.

Michael's first albums succeeded: "Got to Be There" hit number 14, hardly a "failure" for a debut artist (going by the theory of the J5 never existing), and the follow-up "Ben" hit number five. Both produced a total of four top ten singles, three of which hit number one on one of three major US charts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_singles_discography. Ben also won a Golden Globe, and was also nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_(album).

Whether judging by Michael's solo albums or Jackson 5 career, he was an instant success. Janet wasn't. This post is not an "attack" on Janet -- she's done very well for herself -- but I don't see the point in fabricating statistics or discrediting talent or Motown's founder.
 
While her music has not really been my kind of music since Rythm Nation I still think that she is a talent in her own right and that threads like this are a bit mean.
 
I guess that growing up in a family surrounded by music and hard work, Janet had little alternative but to follow in the footsteps of her elder siblings. Luckily for her, Michael was the one who influenced her; the brother she looked up to because they were so similar in age. As Michael had mentioned, he used to pretend he was Fred and she was Ginger, so their own creative "team" worked in their favour :) How difficult would it be not to get tempted to go into the business after learning so much creativity at such a young age, seeing that they were already so famous. I think Janet's voice is beautiful. She deserves success, but I think that if she wasn't born in that family, perhaps her ear for music would not have been so strong - who knows? Personality counts for a lot too. LaToya is not successful, but perhaps that's because she was the eldest girl who had to help her mother, rather than go down her own path in those years. As a result, it seems that she has been rather desperate to be as noticed as her siblings are, by the public. I feel sorry for her in a way, but her actions in adulthood have been rather pathetic in my eyes.

Whatever the real reason behind Janet's success, I bet that she now has added pressure on her shoulders to try to keep Michael's legacy alive within her music style, as a homage to her brother. Good luck to her!
 
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JoeyMJFan said:
W/out the success of Michael Jackson, there wouldn't be a Jackson 5 that 99% of the world has heard of. Berry Gordy has credited Michael as standing apart as a prodigy/outstanding talent in To Be Loved, his autobiography, and in recent interviews. Even the most casual music fan knows that Michael sang lead on all of their hits; further, young Michael also had solo hits and appeared solo on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1973.

Michael's first albums succeeded: "Got to Be There" hit number 14, hardly a "failure" for a debut artist (going by the theory of the J5 never existing), and the follow-up "Ben" hit number five. Both produced a total of four top ten singles, three of which hit number one on one of three major US charts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_singles_discography. Ben also won a Golden Globe, and was also nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_(album).

Whether judging by Michael's solo albums or Jackson 5 career, he was an instant success. Janet wasn't. This post is not an "attack" on Janet -- she's done very well for herself -- but I don't see the point in fabricating statistics or discrediting talent or Motown's founder.
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And what was the driving force behind the success of his solo endeavours? The success of the Jackson 5. His career was to a degree based off the hype of the Jackson 5. Notice how as the popularity of the Jackson 5 began to diminish, his subsequent albums began to fail as well? It was the success of the Jackson 5 that led to the solo careers of Michael and later Janet. Plz don't be one of those fans that thinks Mike did all of this on his own because he surely didn't.
 
Lonely17 said:
LaToya could have ended Janet and Mike's careers with one album. :coffee: lol
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I think LaToya is adorable and sometimes it upsets me when people comment on what a terrible person she's supposed to be (which I don't believe she is), but I don't think she's as talented as Michael or Janet. Having said that, if she hadn't had that terrible husband/manager who was only interested in exploiting LaToya's good looks and if she had a better team of producers and songwriters she could have done better than she did.
 
abc123 said:
I think LaToya is adorable and sometimes it upsets me when people comment on what a terrible person she's supposed to be (which I don't believe she is), but I don't think she's as talented as Michael or Janet. Having said that, if she hadn't had that terrible husband/manager who was only interested in exploiting LaToya's good looks and if she had a better team of producers and songwriters she could have done better than she did.
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To me I don't think LaToya could have had a place in music. You already had Janet and Mike. Their music together crosses too many genres and appeals to different ppl. It would have been very difficult for her to find a unique sound without sounding too much like Janet or Mike.
 
iboz75 said:
Good times, Fame , Diff'ernt Strokes. Do you think Janet broke out in her career because she was legitimately talented, or do you think favoritism played a part because of her famous brother(s) ?
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Both.

She was legitimately talented but opportunities were available because of her family background.

Remember she started in entertainment as part of the family show in Las Vegas in 1973-1974. This led to The Jacksons Variety show of 1976-1977 which led to Good Times which led to Diff'rent Strokes (Norman Lear connection).

Simultaneously, papa Joe pushed her into music with 1978's Love Song for Kids with brother Randy to the never-developed Jackson Sisters to 1982's Janet Jackson & 1984's Dream Street.

Both of these strains led her into TV show Fame keeping her profile up.

Janet's talent showed itself once she separated from her family's influence choosing to do Control without help from family.

Even still she excelled here both because of her ability AND because she was a Jackson, a family of legendary performers.

And yes, the Michael effect helped too like it did all the Jacksons. But it could hurt as well which is why she professionally distanced herself from him so as not to be in his shadow.

By the time of 1993's janet., she helped make the Jackson name instead of the other way around. Still benefiting from it but bolstering it as well. This kind of success was how she was finally able to make 1995's Scream with Michael after his name took a hit after the 1993 allegations.

Family names can help and hurt at same time. Janet had the talent to overcome that trap & come back to build that name in her own right.

John Lucas
 
I think it might've helped her start, but now she really is known as "Janet Jackson", not just "Michael Jackson's sister". I've met people who didn't even know they were siblings.
 
MJJSwissFan said:
I think it might've helped her start, but now she really is known as "Janet Jackson", not just "Michael Jackson's sister". I've met people who didn't even know they were siblings.
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Were they little green men from Mars? ;)

Believe it or not, and you probably won't - but I swear that it's true: I once met someone who thought that the Rolling Stones were a soccer team from England.
 
johnlucas said:
Both.

She was legitimately talented but opportunities were available because of her family background.

Remember she started in entertainment as part of the family show in Las Vegas in 1973-1974. This led to The Jacksons Variety show of 1976-1977 which led to Good Times which led to Diff'rent Strokes (Norman Lear connection).

Simultaneously, papa Joe pushed her into music with 1978's Love Song for Kids with brother Randy to the never-developed Jackson Sisters to 1982's Janet Jackson & 1984's Dream Street.

Both of these strains led her into TV show Fame keeping her profile up.

Janet's talent showed itself once she separated from her family's influence choosing to do Control without help from family.

Even still she excelled here both because of her ability AND because she was a Jackson, a family of legendary performers.

And yes, the Michael effect helped too like it did all the Jacksons. But it could hurt as well which is why she professionally distanced herself from him so as not to be in his shadow.

By the time of 1993's janet., she helped make the Jackson name instead of the other way around. Still benefiting from it but bolstering it as well. This kind of success was how she was finally able to make 1995's Scream with Michael after his name took a hit after the 1993 allegations.

Family names can help and hurt at same time. Janet had the talent to overcome that trap & come back to build that name in her own right.

John Lucas
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So true.

Janet got an 'in' because of her family....but her own talent gave her the staying power.

Just like some of the Marley kids.
 
To deny that her famous brothers' recording success didn't open alot of doors for her (as opposed to those that didn't have famous connections, ala Madonna, Lady Gaga, etc) would be naive at best. The difference in her case as opposed to her sisters, nephews, what-have-you is she used that opportunity to cultivate her talent and stand out on her OWN.

She benefited from them getting her to the proverbial water, but she was the one that drank it.
 
SheilaMJFan4Ever said:
To deny that her famous brothers' recording success didn't open alot of doors for her (as opposed to those that didn't have famous connections, ala Madonna, Lady Gaga, etc) would be naive at best. The difference in her case as opposed to her sisters, nephews, what-have-you is she used that opportunity to cultivate her talent and stand out on her OWN.

She benefited from them getting her to the proverbial water, but she was the one that drank it.
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Have to just say that I LOVE your avatar!
 
SheilaMJFan4Ever said:
To deny that her famous brothers' recording success didn't open alot of doors for her (as opposed to those that didn't have famous connections, ala Madonna, Lady Gaga, etc) would be naive at best. The difference in her case as opposed to her sisters, nephews, what-have-you is she used that opportunity to cultivate her talent and stand out on her OWN.

She benefited from them getting her to the proverbial water, but she was the one that drank it.
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You worded that perfectly. I agree.
 
famous family...knowing famous people......having better oppurtunities........not necessarily having anything to do with talent imo....different discussion
 
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