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‘I think I am breaking the pattern’: Janet Jackson on bad relationships, new music and Kamala Harris

After five decades in the public eye, three failed marriages and the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that torpedoed her career, the pop megastar is back. She opens up about family, fame and her fears of mayhem after the US election

It is the hottest day of the year in London; outside, the tarmac is melting and the tube is operating as a sauna, but when I catch a first glimpse of her – buttoned up and cinched into black wool Thom Browne tuxedo pants and blazer over box-fresh platform sneakers – she looks perfectly serene, untouched by civilian inconveniences such as weather, the passing of time – or even a case of the sniffles. Not just for her imperial run – from Control in 1986 to The Velvet Rope in 1997 – but for the record-breaking firsts she stacked up along the way: most top five singles from one album (seven for Rhythm Nation 1814); the most successful debut tour ever (in 1990); and, at the time, signing the most lucrative recording contract in music history ($80m in 1996), surpassing even her brother Michael. Leslie Moonves, then head of the CBS Corporation ( who resigned in 2018 following a slew of allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against him, which he denies), is said to have personally orchestrated a blanket ban on TV and radio play of Janet Jackson songs.

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