She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV , enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process.
Lyrical content that focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth. She became a pop icon following the releases of the albums Control and Rhythm Nation Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated a variety of music genres, which led to crossover success in popular music.
In , Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records , becoming one of the highest-paid artists in the industry. She established her image as a sex symbol with a leading role in the film Poetic Justice , and the albums Janet and The Velvet Rope Billboard named her the second most successful artist of the s in the United States after Mariah Carey. Jackson subsequently experienced reduced radio airplay, televised promotion and sales figures from that point forward.
After parting ways with Virgin Records, she released her tenth studio album Discipline , her first and only album with Island Records. In , she partnered with BMG Rights Management to launch her own record label, Rhythm Nation, and released her eleventh studio album, Unbreakable , the same year.
Since then she has continued to release music as an independent artist. Jackson has sold over million records, [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. She holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten entries on the US Billboard Hot by a female artist 18 and remains the only artist in the history of the chart to have seven singles from one album Rhythm Nation peak within the top five positions.
