Janet Jackson

b. 1966

Gary, Indiana

Singer, dancer, actress

Janet Jackson is the youngest sibling of music's most famous family - the Jacksons. Her hits have spanned multiple decades, but Jackson was in the spotlight long before her music career. She was an actress on Diff'rent Strokes and Good Times in the '70s. Her first album wasn't even released until the early '80s.

Her self-titled debut and sophomore album, Dream Street, did well on the charts, but her third album, Control, propelled her into stardom.

Control, released in 1986, sold over ten million records worldwide and immediately ascended to #1 on the Billboard 200. Keeping that momentum, Jackson dropped Rhythm Nation 1814, which turned the music industry out. Jackson became the only artist to have seven singles from one album peak within the Top 5 on Billboard with songs like "Black Cat," "Escapade," Love Will Never Do (Without You)," and "Miss You Much." One of Jackson's most iconic visuals is her "Rhythm Nation" music video, where the choreography became the forefront of our fixation.

Basically, everything can be traced back to Janet.