Janet Jackson Asks Interviewer to ‘Stop Asking’ Her Questions: ‘I Really Don’t Like Speaking’
‘I’d rather stay quiet and listen to other people talk,’ Janet told podcast host Dev Griffin.
Janet Jackson is making it clear that she doesn’t love doing interviews. The 58-year-old musician appeared on the “Heart Evenings with Dev Griffin” podcast on Wednesday, July 17, and didn’t hold back in telling the podcast host that she didn’t want to handle any questions.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to be honest with you. Please stop asking me questions,” the “All for You” artist said. “I’ve never thought I give a good interview. I really don’t like speaking, so I’d rather stay quiet and listen to other people talk, and that’s always been me.”
Janet then doubled down by telling Dev Griffin, “Don’t ask me questions,” then jokingly concluded, “Are we finished?”
The sister of the late Michael Jackson began her entertainment career in the early 1970s, appearing on TV in Good Times and Fame. Eventually, Janet rose to prominence as a music artist in the mid-1980s with her album Control, which established her as a pop and R&B powerhouse vocalist. Jackson’s innovative music videos, such as the iconic “Rhythm Nation” one, pushed artistic boundaries all the while spotlighting social issues. Over the past few decades, Janet has sold over 100 million records and earned several accolades.
Janet is now in the middle of the North American leg of her Together Again Tour. Despite telling Dev that she didn’t enjoy interviews, she opened up about her passion for music and her inspirations.
“I have to exclude family because obviously that spoke to me first, seeing my brothers, my sisters, my cousin Stevie [Wonder] — seeing him perform was a huge inspiration,” Janet pointed out, before acknowledging the band Earth, Wind & Fire. “My brothers would often take me with them when they would go to concerts, and I remember seeing Earth, Wind & Fire as a kid — just unforgettable. I’ll never forget that. Really blew me away, the musicianship, and then the body of work. I absolutely loved it.”
Janet then named another music icon: Prince, recalling seeing him her “early, early, early, early 20s.”
“He did some songs that I wasn’t that familiar with and didn’t do songs that I was familiar with, and I thought, ‘If I ever perform on this level, I don’t want to do that,'” she noted. “I want to at least do songs that people are familiar with, for sure.”