Janet Jackson returns to No. 1 with new album debut

By M&C News Mar 5, 2008, 15:50 GMT

Worldwide 100 million-selling megastar Janet Jackson returns to Soundscan’s #1 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as her Island Def Jam album debut ‘Discipline’ enters at the top on first week sales of 181,075 units, it was announced today by Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. 

‘Discipline’ marks Janet’s first #1 Soundscan album debut in nearly seven years, since ‘All For You’ in May 2001.

 “Janet delivered an amazing album and Island Def Jam is on a mission to deliver big results for her in every way,” said Mr. Reid. "Janet is musical royalty who only deserves the very best.”

‘Discipline’ was launched on the morning of the album release (February 26th) with a live performance at the Nokia Theatre on New York’s Times Square, broad­cast on ABC’s Good Morning America. 

Another Times Square performance happened that afternoon, broadcast by MTV’s TRL.  Just a few blocks away, pandemonium took over Best Buy for Janet’s in-store CD signing event, which attracted 5000 fans. 

Across the country two days later (Thursday), Janet stopped traffic again at her Virgin Megastore CD signing event.  Later that night on CNN, she was the exclusive guest on Larry King Live. An appearance on the Ellen Show followed the next morning (Friday).  Janet’s appearance on the Tyra Banks Show airs March 4, and that same night she is the lead guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

“She a good bad girl,” screamed USA Today’s headline of its 3 album review by Steve Jones.  “Sexual tension reverberates throughout Janet’s latest,” he wrote, “as she works out the kinks on the dance floor but saves some for the bedroom.”  The review goes on to praise the album’s “bumping club grooves and quirky sound effects.”

The week before the album’s release came news of Janet’s 2008 NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the #1 box office smash Why Did I Get Married? 

The comedy-drama written, produced, directed, and starring Tyler Perry, opened #1 at the box office.  It is the third motion picture of Janet’s career, and her third to open at #1, following the success of Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), and her leading title role in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice (1993).

‘Discipline’ is the 10th studio album (and overall 13th album) of Janet Jackson’s career.   In addition to Rodney Jerkins, who produced “Feedback,” the new album brings together an A-list of guest producers, including Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Stargate, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream.

Prior to album release, “Feedback” was named Janet’s biggest-selling digital single ever, and the video (by British director Saam Farahmand) is currently in major video channel rotation on BET, MTV, VH1, and VH1 Soul.

In a class all by herself, 5-time Grammy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated Janet Jackson – singer, composer, producer, actor, and humanitarian – celebrated two career milestones in 2007: the 30th anniversary of her beginning as a TV star in her own right on “Good Times” (in 1977), and the 25th anniversary of her debut as a solo record­ing artist on A&M Records (in 1982).