Janet Jackson Cries Honoring Michael Jackson During ‘Scream’ Performance
Janet, “Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty,” kicked off her “Unbreakable” tour Monday in Vancouver, and TMZ reports that the reclusive singer broke down in tears before a performance of “Scream,” the song she recorded with her late brother Michael Jackson in 1995. At the time, the video was the most expensive ever made, costing $7 million.
Michael recorded the track in response to the backlash from his child molestation trial, which he settled out of court, as well as harassing media coverage of his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. Janet didn’t face nearly as much scrutiny as her brother until 2004, when pop star Justin Timberlake exposed her breast during a performance at halftime of the Super Bowl.
Directed by Mark Romanek, the space-themed video was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jean Cocteau’s 1929 novel Les Enfants Terribles, about two troubled siblings. The video won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
Romanek told Rolling Stone that he was surprised at how easy it was working with the sibling superstars.
“[Michael and Janet] obviously had a deep affection and love for one another and were very excited to finally dance together on camera for the first time. There was some very healthy and good-natured sibling rivalry going on there in that scene,” he said.
Janet opened the show with a new track featuring her longtime friend, rapper Missy Elliott. The song, titled “Burn It Up,” is expected to be on Jackson’s eleventh studio album, Unbreakable, which is slated for a fall release, Rolling Stone reports. Missy confirmed in a tweet that the song was produced by Janet’s longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jackson will continue to tour North America through early November. The second leg of her tour kicks off January 12, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Jackson’s tribute to her brother comes on the heels of his family remembering him on his 57th birthday on August 29 (see the video below). Fans, family, and friends honored the King of Pop with messages and photos on social media. As EW reports, Jermaine and LaToya Jackson both posted notes about Michael.
Your Presence Elevated Everyone! Your Music Brought Us Joy! Your Gift Will Be With Us Always! #MichaelJackson pic.twitter.com/i22fb2s9QI
— La Toya Jackson (@latoyajackson) August 29, 2015
Jay Z also honored the late pop star on Saturday when he created a Instagram page, using the handle @HovSince96, and uploading only one post – a photo of Jay Z posing alongside Michael with the caption “Happy Birthday to the King,” the caption read, adding, “This may be my first and last post.” The page quickly gained 100,000 followers in a few hours before it was taken down.
Michael Jackson died in June 2009 of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Los Angeles. His estate has earned an astounding $2 billion since his death.
[Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
