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Close-up of American singer and actress Janet Jackson on the set of her film 'Poetic Justice' (directed by John Singleton), 1993. Anthony Barboza/Getty Images Trending on Billboard Few, if any, pop stars throughout history have had a more incredible run than Janet Jackson at her peak. From 1986 to 2001, she released five full-length albums — each of which topped the Billboard 200, each of which generated at least one No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, each of which helped to define their era in pop, R&B and culture in general, and each of which proved enormously impactful on pop stardom, both in real time and for generations to come. And perhaps most impressively: Each of those album eras felt completely separate from the ones before or after, reframing Jackson’s artistry and shaping her legacy in a totally new way. Related HUNTR/X's Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna Accept Woman of the Year at 2026 Billboard Women In Music: Read Their Full Speech Rosalía to Collect Prestigious Songwriting Award at The Ivors 2026 Rick Ross & French Montana Set to Face Off in 'Verzuz' Battle Explore Janet Jackson See latest videos, charts and news In honor of the pop icon, R&B legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s upcoming 60th birthday (May 16), we’re celebrating a first on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast: A full week of Vintage Pop Stardom flashbacks to each of these peak Janet Jackson album eras. We’ll start in 1986 on May 11 with her Control breakthrough, and go one a day through the rest of the week, hitting the heights of her bar-setting Rhythm Nation era in 1990, her game-changing Janet release in 1993, her boundary-pushing Velvet Rope rollout in 1998 and her legacy-confirming All for You drop in 2001. And of course, along the way, we’ll answer all the most pressing questions about Ms. Janet during this all-time run: How did she end up making such an astronomical creative leap from her pre-Control material? What did she understand about crafting a full album era that even some of her megastar peers had to catch up to? How did she set the template for modern pop star evolution — and who have been some of her most obvious disciples? What challenges did she have to face in her career that her male and/or white pop peers might not have had to go through the same way? Which album is she most likely to be remembered for in 50 years? Which song? Which video? And why, 40 years after her breakthrough, does it still feel like her work doesn’t quite get the recognition or visibility it deserves? Listen to a quick teaser explaining more about the series above, catch up on our Vintage Pop Stardom episodes here, and check back from May 11-15 both on Greatest Pop Stars and Billboard.com as we commemorate a pop star who music and culture would never do without! And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Human Rights Campaign – In Your Area Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Leave a Comment Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Post Comment Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about? Get in the know on Visit Billboard Pro for music business news