Janet Jackson (Janet Damita Jo Jackson) was born on May 16, 1966 is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, and pop icon.

Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to Joseph and Katherine Jackson, and is the youngest of nine children. The family was of lower-middle-class and devout Jehovah's Witnesses.

By the time she was a toddler, Janet's older brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael had already begun to perform on stage at nightclubs and theaters as the Jackson 5.

In March 1969, the group signed with Motown Records, and by the end of the year the group recorded the first of their four consecutive number-one singles. The Jackson 5's success allowed the entire family to move to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in 1971.

Jackson is ranked as the ninth most successful act in the history of rock and roll and the second most successful female recording artist of all time in the U.S. behind Madonna, according to Billboard magazine. Guinness World Records lists her as the world's most searched-for person in internet history.

Jackson scored ten number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, fifteen number ones on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and seventeen number ones on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart from 1986 to 2007.

In addition to her commercial accomplishments Jackson has won five Grammy Awards, received an Oscar-nomination at the 66th annual Academy Awards and was awarded the first 'Icon' award from MTV.