Janet Jackson Faces Music with ‘Damita Jo’ Release
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Janet Jackson may have ignited a furor by baring a breast during a live CBS telecast of the Super Bowl, but the pop diva literally faces the music next week when her new album, “Damita Jo,” hits stores.
While Jackson’s ardent fans will likely judge the album on its merits, it may be difficult to completely tune out the controversy over her notorious half-time performance.
Indeed, the cover of “Damita Jo” — she says the title comes from her middle name — features Jackson in profile clad only in jeans with her arms covering her breasts.
“Being an artist, she’s very comfortable expressing herself creatively,” her publicist, Stephen Huvane, told Reuters on Friday. “Janet’s trying to stay focused on releasing the best record she can and by not obsessing on the controversy and the hoopla.”
After keeping a low profile in the wake of her infamous “wardrobe malfunction,” Jackson steps earnestly back into the limelight next week to promote the new Virgin Records album, which arrives in U.S. stores March 30 and overseas March 29.
She will return to CBS, owned by Viacom Inc., on March 29 on the “Late Show with David Letterman” for her first network interview since the Feb. 1 Super Bowl show.
Jackson also will give her first televised musical performance since the game on ABC’s “Good Morning America” next week and will host NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” next month. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. and NBC by General Electric Co.
Although Jackson issued a mea culpa for a “costume reveal” that she said went further than intended, CBS effectively barred her from the Grammy Awards a week later when she refused the network’s demands to make an on-air apology.
Public outrage surrounding her flash of nudity also sparked a Federal Communications Commission probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and an industry-wide crackdown on sexually explicit material on TV and radio.
FANS DON’T CARE
Nevertheless, the judgment of music consumers rests on different factors, experts said.
“It (Super Bowl) will never be forgotten, but it will be forgiven. The audience that listens to and loves Janet are going to still buy her records, go to her concerts and watch her TV specials,” said Ann Stephenson, chief executive of New Jersey-based image consulting firm Stephenson Group.
The Super Bowl faux pas was “not a career buster,” she said, “but it was probably smart to keep a low profile for a while. … Based on her past performances this could be her best re-coming-out party.”
Radio stations started playing one single, “Just A Little While,” around the time of the Super Bowl. But after getting an initial boost, the track’s airplay lost momentum, never getting past No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jackson’s label, owned by EMI Group Plc, has since released a second single, “I Want You,” targeting Jackson’s core R&B audience, which has fared better.
Industry watchers expect “Damita Jo” to sell 200,000 copies its first week, about a third of the retail volume logged by her last album, “All For You,” in its first week in 2001. That release went on to sell 3 million copies, regarded as a commercial success but far short of earlier works.
“You can’t really throw stones at her if she didn’t sell as much in 2001 as she did in 1986. It’s hard for pop artists to stay relevant. Let’s give her credit for still being in the conversation,” said Geoff Mayfield, director of sales charts for Billboard magazine.
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Some believe the new album will get a huge push when Jackson embarks on a marketing campaign and when a video is released in the United States.
In an interview for April edition of “Upscale” magazine, Jackson said she “pushes the envelope” with her latest album in terms of exploring sexuality as a theme.
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