Janet began playing the reoccurring role of Willis's girlfriend Charlene during the third season of the hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes in 1981. She acts in several episodes during the season.
After her father Joseph arranges a record contract with A&M Records for her, sixteen year-old Janet obliges and records the self-titled album Janet Jackson. All of the lyrics are pre-written and the music is pre-recorded. With no promotion, no videos, and little enthusiasm by Janet for a music career, the album has limited commercial success.
"Young Love" was the first single of Janet's career, taken from her self-titled debut album. The song peaked at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the R&B charts.
"Come Give Your Love to Me" was the second single from Janet's self-titled debut album. It peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100, #17 on the R&B chart, and #30 on the dance chart.
"Don't Stand Another Chance" was the lead single from Janet's forthcoming second album Dream Street. The song reaches #9 on the Billboard R&B chart and #23 on the dance chart.
Janet began playing the role of Cleo on the hit teen drama Fame during the fourth season of the series. Years later, Janet admits that she did not enjoy the experience and purposely tried to get fired. She leaves the show voluntarily in 1985 after completing only one season.
Janet elopes during a secret wedding with James DeBarge of the popular R&B music group DeBarge. Only eighteen at the time, the marriage shocks her family. After alleged drug use and physical abuse by James, Janet leaves him after only a few months of marriage and is granted an annulment in early 1985.
"Two to the Power of Love" was a duet with Cliff Richard taken from Janet's second album Dream Street. The song reaches #83 in the United Kingdom and #7 in South Africa, becoming her first single to enter the charts in those respective countries.
At the pressure of her father, Janet records and releases her second album, Dream Street. This album, like the first, has little promotion and no videos. Years later, Janet admits that she did not even want a music career at the time and only recorded the albums because her father. Instead, she privately was hoping to go to college and get a degree in business law while also continuing her acting career.
Saying that she wanted to get out of her family's house and out of the control of her father Joseph, she fires him as her manager and hires John McClain, who was then A&M Record's senior vice president of artists and repertoire, a move that angers Joseph. McClain then introduces Janet to Minneapolis-based songwriting and production duo James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis, both of whom are former members of the funk and soul band The Time, whose music Janet was a fan of. After establishing a bond with the duo, who work under the moniker Flyte Tyme Productions, she begins working on new music with them and they encourage her to begin writing her own music for the first time.
"Start Anew" was a single released only in Japan that is not available on any full-length album. The song was later included on first-edition pressings of the Japanese version of her forthcoming album Control.
"What Have You Done for Me Lately" was the hit song that brought Janet into the mainstream as an artist in her own right. The song is from her forthcoming album Control and was written by Janet, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Listeners were shocked to see the young nineteen-year-old showing confidence and attitude. The track gained Janet her first top ten hit when it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 on the R&B chart.
Independence and freedom were the subject of Janet's breakthrough hit album Control, the third album of her music career. Teaming up for the first time with Flyte Type Productions duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Control expresses Janet's personal independence to the world as she had never done before. It becomes Janet's first #1 multi-platinum album on both the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and the R&B Albums chart.
Once again showing more attitude then ever before, Janet's "Nasty" becomes an anthem for strong women, shown through the song's most memorable line: "No my first name ain't baby, it's Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty." It peaks at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.
"Let's Wait Awhile" was the fifth single and first ballad released from the Control album. The song, about not rushing into sex, reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.
Janet sings lead and background vocals with Lisa Keith for A&M Records co-founder and jazz musician Herb Alpert on his song "Diamonds." The song is taken from Albert's album Keep Your Eye on Me. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the R&B chart, and #1 on the dance chart.
"The Pleasure Principle," produced by Monte Moir, was the sixth and final American single released from the Control album. It peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.
Control The Remixes was Janet's first ever remix album. The collection, composed of eight remixes of songs from the highly successful Control album, was released in all countries worldwide except for the United States.
Janet sings lead vocals with Lisa Keith on Herb Alpert's single "Making Love in ihe Rain." The track is Alpert's second single from his Keep Your Eye on Me album.
"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" was the seventh and final single released from the Control album. The song was only released as a single in Europe and had no accompanying music video.
"Miss You Much" was the first single released from Janet's forthcoming album Rhythm Nation 1814. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #1 on the R&B chart, and #1 on the dance chart.
Despite pressure from A&M Records to record an album with similar themes to her 1986 Control album, Janet recorded a socially conscious album that reflected problems plaguing modern society. Titled Rhythm Nation 1814, it was the fourth studio album of Janet's career and the second one that was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It spawned a record-breaking seven top five singles - the most off of any single album in history. The album went to #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the R&B chart. It was also the best selling album of 1990.
The song "Rhythm Nation" was the second single from the album of the same name. It is perhaps best known for its military-style music video and its sample of the popular Sly & The Family Stone track "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)." The track peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, #1 on the R&B chart, and #1 on the dance chart.
After being asked by her record company to create a television special to promote her new album Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet instead chose to film a 30-minute short film (or "telemusical") acting out the messages behind her socially-conscious album Rhythm Nation 1814. Janet filmed it entirely in black and white, giving all races a different shade of one color: gray. The film, featuring the songs "Miss You Much," "Black Cat," "The Knowledge," and "Rhythm Nation," was directed by Dominic Sena, and was released commercially on VHS.
