Popsugar Celebrity Celebrity Evolutions Janet Jackson Through the Years I Pictures Janet Jackson's Evolution From Cute Child Star to Full-Fledged Music Icon 30 January 2022 by Princess Gabbara Image Source: Getty / Jeff Kravitz Janet Jackson is one of the most influential entertainers the music industry has ever known, paving the way for younger icons like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Britney Spears. But her reign began when she was just a young child, performing at the MGM Casino on the Las Vegas strip with her famous siblings and later starring in TV shows like "Good Times," "Diff'rent Strokes," and "Fame." After signing a deal with A&M Records in 1982, the then-budding pop star was well on her way to cementing her icon status. Hit singles like "Nasty," "Rhythm Nation," and "That's the Way Love Goes" helped Jackson become one of the best-selling artists of all time, selling over 100 million copies worldwide. Forty years later, Jackson is opening up about her life and career like never before in the long-awaited "JANET JACKSON." documentary, which premiered simultaneously on Lifetime and A&E on Jan. 28 and 29. In the two-night event, the notoriously private star addressed those long-standing rumours of a secret baby with ex-husband James DeBarge, the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show controversy involving Justin Timberlake, feeling guilty by association after child molestation allegations against later brother Michael Jackson, and much more. So, it's only fitting that we take a look back at the 55-year-old trailblazing icon's remarkable evolution throughout the decades. 1974 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 1 / 44 1977 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 2 / 44 1978 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 3 / 44 1979 Image Source: Getty / ABC Photo Archives 4 / 44 1980 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 5 / 44 1981 Image Source: Getty / NBC 6 / 44 1982 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 7 / 44 1983 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella 8 / 44 1984 Image Source: Getty / Harry Langdon 9 / 44 1985 Image Source: Getty / Michael Ochs Archives 10 / 44 1986 Image Source: Getty / picture alliance 11 / 44 1987 Image Source: Getty / Chris Walter 12 / 44 1988 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 13 / 44 1989 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 14 / 44 1990 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 15 / 44 1991 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 16 / 44 1992 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 17 / 44 1993 Image Source: Getty / KMazur 18 / 44 1994 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd. 19 / 44 1995 Image Source: Getty / Ron Galella 20 / 44 1997 Image Source: Getty / Jo Hale 21 / 44 1998 Image Source: Getty / Phil Dent 22 / 44 1999 Image Source: Getty / Barry King 23 / 44 2000 Image Source: Getty / Steve Granitz 24 / 44 2001 Image Source: Getty / KMazur 25 / 44 2002 Image Source: Getty / Gregg DeGuire 26 / 44 2003 Image Source: Getty / Arun Nevader 27 / 44 2004 Image Source: Getty / KMazur 28 / 44 2005 Image Source: Getty / Jon Kopaloff 29 / 44 2006 Image Source: Getty / John Sciulli 30 / 44 2007 Image Source: Getty / Jon Kopaloff 31 / 44 2008 Image Source: Getty / Joe Kohen 32 / 44 2009 Image Source: Getty / Christopher Polk 33 / 44 2010 Image Source: Getty / NBC 34 / 44 2011 Image Source: Getty / Daniele Venturelli 35 / 44 2012 Image Source: Getty / Michael Buckner/amfAR12 36 / 44 2013 Image Source: Getty / Vincenzo Lombardo 37 / 44 2014 Image Source: Getty / Vittorio Zunino Celotto 38 / 44 2015 Image Source: Getty / Mark Davis/BET 39 / 44 2016 Image Source: Getty / Francois Nel 40 / 44 2017 Image Source: Getty / Paul Archuleta 41 / 44 2018 Image Source: Getty / NBC 42 / 44 2019 Image Source: Getty / Jeff Kravitz 43 / 44 2020 Image Source: Getty / NBC 44 / 44 Celebrity EvolutionsNostalgiaJanet Jackson