Janet Jackson decided against cancelling her headlining set at the 2018 Essence Festival following the loss of her father, because it’s not what he would have wanted.
Family patriarch Joe Jackson lost his battle with cancer on 27 June (18), at the age of 89, and some fans were concerned the superstar would pull out of her summer tour dates, including a weekend performance at the New Orleans, Louisiana festival, to grieve his passing.
Janet assured devotees the show would go on in a video posted to Instagram last week, although she admitted it had been a “pretty rough week” for her loved ones.
As promised, the Nasty hitmaker returned to the stage for the Essence Festival on Sunday (08Jul18), but during her set, the singer paused the music and opened up about her decision to play through the pain. “To be quite honest, it was really hard for me,” Janet told the crowd. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to move forward, if I should cancel this festival or cancel the entire tour.”
Growing emotional, the 52-year-old revealed a heart-to-heart with one of her brothers inspired her to do what she does best, and honour her father, who masterminded his children’s early musical success, in the process.
“He was very strong, and... without his drive, his strength... we wouldn’t have this success,” Janet continued. “We are a black family that came from Gary, Indiana and we broke all kinds of records around the globe. That’s truth.”
And when her brother asked her to consider what Joe would have told her to do, she realised she couldn’t let her fans down.
“I think my father would have said, ‘Janet, please, finish what you started, and I will be there with you every step of the way in your heart,’ so here I am,” she concluded tearfully.
E Online
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