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Post by respect77 on Oct 12, 2018 16:20:54 GMT
Personally I have never been a big Janet fan. I did buy the "Janet" album back in the day, but I was typically the kind of "fan" who bought it because she was MJ's sister. But I was never a big fan of her music, to be honest. But I think her catalog is more interesting than say, Whitney's or Mariah's. On the other hand, it doesn't help her that her voice is so weak. Sure, Madonna isn't famous for her vocals either, but Madonna's catalog is stronger and more diverse IMO.
Sometimes I feel Janet doesn't get her due, sometimes I feel her fans are overrating her big time. Depends on the context, I guess. For example, I do sympathize with her fans' campaign to get her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I think she definitely belongs there before a lot of artists who are already there. So that is a good example of when I think she is a bit underrated and undeservedly ignored. Sure she doesn't have the impact of Madonna, but she did influence a lot of female artists. I also think she was unfairly treated after the Super Bowl incident - and the fact that she was blacklisted after that is, I think, more or less admitted by now. It was just unfair in comparision of how Timberlake was treated. But then that goes to the topic of racism and sexism in the industry.
On the other hand, I sometimes feel her fans massively overrate her. I feel they are so competitive with MJ, always comparing them and saying things like "from the 1990s on Janet was bigger than MJ" etc, not realizing how temporary that was and how limited it was in space too (mainly limited to the USA, everywhere else Janet has always remained MJ's little sister). If Janet seemed more popular for a moment then it had a lot more to do with the bad publicity that MJ got in the USA after the allegations than anything. Even so, MJ's body of work even from the 1990s stood the test of time more than anything Janet did even at her most popular. Eg. TDCAU might have flopped in the USA when it was released and Earth Song wasn't even released in the USA at the time, but can anyone honestly say stuff like Together Again (which was one of Janet's biggest hits at the time) have a bigger significance over the long term? Billboard singles aren't everything.
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Post by mjjfan810 on Oct 12, 2018 16:55:33 GMT
Personally I have never been a big Janet fan. I did buy the "Janet" album back in the day, but I was typically the kind of "fan" who bought it because she was MJ's sister. But I was never a big fan of her music, to be honest. But I think her catalog is more interesting than say, Whitney's or Mariah's. On the other hand, it doesn't help her that her voice is so weak. Sure, Madonna isn't famous for her vocals either, but Madonna's catalog is stronger and more diverse IMO. Sometimes I feel Janet doesn't get her due, sometimes I feel her fans are overrating her big time. Depends on the context, I guess. For example, I do sympathize with her fans' campaign to get her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I think she definitely belongs there before a lot of artists who are already there. So that is a good example of when I think she is a bit underrated and undeservedly ignored. Sure she doesn't have the impact of Madonna, but she did influence a lot of female artists. I also think she was unfairly treated after the Super Bowl incident - and the fact that she was blacklisted after that is, I think, more or less admitted by now. It was just unfair in comparision of how Timberlake was treated. But then that goes to the topic of racism and sexism in the industry. On the other hand, I sometimes feel her fans massively overrate her. I feel they are so competitive with MJ, always comparing them and saying things like "from the 1990s on Janet was bigger than MJ" etc, not realizing how temporary that was and how limited it was in space too (mainly limited to the USA, everywhere else Janet has always remained MJ's little sister). If Janet seemed more popular for a moment then it had a lot more to do with the bad publicity that MJ got in the USA after the allegations than anything. Even so, MJ's body of work even from the 1990s stood the test of time more than anything Janet did even at her most popular. Eg. TDCAU might have flopped in the USA when it was released and Earth Song wasn't even released in the USA at the time, but can anyone honestly say stuff like Together Again (which was one of Janet's biggest hits at the time) have a bigger significance over the long term? Billboard singles aren't everything. It's a strange phenomenon, as I used to frequent the Janet boards a few years back, and they were largely very negative about MJ. Of course there was a small crossover of fans, but the vast majority of JJ fans who have stuck with her seem to be gay men, and MJ has never had much popularity amongst that demographic.
I think back in the day when Janet was selling big numbers, playing arenas and generally very popular, there was a huge number of MJ fans who would buy her records and go to her shows. I think she had a lot of casual fans, especially in Europe. When she lost her popularity, the only people left who were interested seemed to be black women and gay men.
I have love and respect for Janet, and I do think she is more talented than her detractors give her credit for. But I do think MJ helped her career far more than most JJ fans would care to admit.
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Post by respect77 on Oct 12, 2018 17:34:45 GMT
I have love and respect for Janet, and I do think she is more talented than her detractors give her credit for. But I do think MJ helped her career far more than most JJ fans would care to admit.
I agree. I think Janet did make the most of it and became an artist on her own right who did not just ride the coattails of MJ, but it is questionable if she had got her start in the industry at all if she wasn't MJ's sister. I do respect her for finding her own lane and building an image independent of MJ, and being a hard worker with a vision (unlike MJ's other siblings), but she still had a lot to thank to MJ - and Janet fans are often reluctant to admit that. I think she only managed to build a fan base independent of MJ in the USA. Outside of it she always remained mainly MJ's little sister.
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Post by suzie on Oct 23, 2018 6:55:31 GMT
I think she’s mediocre and I hate when people equate her to Michael as his female version because I feel it’s an insult to Michael’s talent. I wouldn’t say she’s mediocre. Janet just wasn’t as gifted in the talent department as MJ. But then again how many are? Janet has talent but worked 2xhard and had great vision. I feel the same when MJ is compared to Madonna.
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Post by suzie on Oct 23, 2018 6:59:14 GMT
I enjoy some of Janet's music, but let's face it: if she had stumbled into a record company office and didn't have that famous last name, and gave a demonstration of her voice seeking a record deal - she would have been politely escorted out of the office with a firm NO. There are countless individuals singing locally, in clubs, in small bars, etc.. with far more vocal and musical prowess than Janet Jackson, but they don't have the benefit of a super-famous family, and brilliant producers like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. That said, I don't hold it against Janet at all. She's made the most of her opportunities - good for her. Her family name got her through the door but Janet is why she stayed. Plus Jimmy and Terry achieved their greatest success with her. They weren’t unknown but they weren’t proven hitmakers either. Janet also writes.
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Post by kremlinshadow on Dec 20, 2018 22:23:08 GMT
Janets vocals never stood out that is true. But I think that the R&B style suited her voice really well and she only did things that worked for her. But her music videos are really great (she is almost up there with MJ and Madonna in that aspect imo, Rhythm Nation or If were really ahead of their time and they have also some very great choreography). She is a great dancer and her tours in the nineties were spectacular. As far as I know she wrote almost every lyric for the Janet album, her biggest album and definitely one of her best. And we really can't deny the impact she had on female popstars. So I don't think it is really fair to say that she only made it that far because she is a Jackson. Why didn't have LaToya a career then? True, plus her first two albums before Control flopped so the Jackson name only got her so far. She got caught in the hurricane and demand for all things Jackson called 'Thriller', they couldn't get MJ so the nearest thing would do until then hence 'Control' doing so well with the image and dance that's how I see it anyhow.
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