The rumours are true. Janet Jackson has signed with Island Def Jam. The label, responsible for major artists such as Mariah Carey and Rihanna, has been the best move Janet has made in the last couple of years and it's a big step. Having been with Virgin for almost 15 years, Janet finished her album deal last September when her ninth studio album "20 Y.O." was released. I'm a huge fan of Janet and she is my favourite singer and I think this is a step in the right direction. Def Jam are known for supporting their artists and Janet's next album, to be released Summer 2008, is to be her first release with the label. Janet's last two albums "Damita Jo" and "20 Y.O." didn't match the success of her previous albums and Virgin had completely lost interest in Janet, who was their biggest-selling artist.
Billboard magazine spoke with Jermaine Dupri (head of the urban division at Def Jam and also Janet's long-term boyfriend) and he revealed the following...
"She's on Island, but it's more or less [Def Jam CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid's] project," Dupri says. "I let him deal with that on a day-to-day basis. He's going to A&R that project, too. Janet's record is one that he's wanted to do for a long time. He's very passionate about it.
As for the direction of Jackson's as-yet-untitled album, Dupri says, "I don't really know what he's got in mind at this point. His past record isn't shabby so I'm going to let him do what he's going to do. I'm going to do [the new] Mariah [Carey album], and we're going to make it seem like we're in competition to see who's going to have the biggest album of the year."
This is great news for Janet. I suspect the rumored collaboration between Janet and Mariah Carey might actually become truth.
Janet has been working on her 10th studio album for the last 2 months and has collaborated with Ne-Yo, Pharrel and many other prestigious R&B/Hip-Hop artist - as well as long-term producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
No comments:
Post a Comment