Janet Jackson

The youngest of the Jackson siblings, American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana. She started out as a backing singer in the family group The Jacksons (ex-Jackson 5) at the age of seven and went on to become one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1990s. Despite the tepid reception of her first two albums, she went on to achieve massive success with her chart-topping third LP Control (1986), produced by the tandem Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. A star in her own right at the age of 20, she reached a new peak of popularity with Rhythm Nation 1814, her second album to reach number 1 on the Billboard charts. In 1993, her next album janet. sold eight million copies. Her widespread commercial appeal led to a starring role in the 1993 film Poetic Justice as her music career continued to blossom through singles such as the Michael Jackson collaboration, "Scream" (1995). Even though her struggles with depression affected her musical output, Janet Jackson made a big comeback in 1997 with The Velvet Rope,  in which she tackled subjects such as mental health and sexual liberation. The album hit the top of both the Billboard 200 and the US R&B charts and was followed by the equally successful All for You in 2001. Over the following years, Janet Jackson continued expanding her sound on releases like Damita Jo (2004) and 20 Y.O. (2006), both of which peaked at number 2 on the US charts. She returned to the top of the Billboard 200 with Discipline (2008) before taking a long hiatus, marked by the death of her brother in 2009. Unbreakable, her first release on her new label Rhythm Nation, found her achieving pole position in the US charts once again aided by singles such as the title track, "Dammn Baby" and "No Sleeep."