Janet Jackson left Virgin for good and works with Anthony "L.A." Reid on her new recording house.
- Jul 14, 2007
AceShowbiz - If previously only a speculation, Janet Jackson finally came to an agreement term with Island Def Jam. Boyfriend Jermaine Dupri who also serves as the president of the label speaks up on the joining.
He told Billboard.com, "She's on Island, but it's more or less (Antonio "L.A." Reid's) project. I let him deal with that on a day-to-day basis. He's going to A&R that project, too. Janet's record is one that he's wanted to do for a long time. He's very passionate about it… I don't really know what he's got in mind at this point. His past record isn't shabby so I'm going to let him do what he's going to do."
Janet was Virgin Records' artists for more than 13 years since her 1993 album "janet.". One of the reasons she decided to leave the recording house is the failure of her last two efforts in the market. "Damita Jo" (2004) and "20 Y.O." (2006) had milder reception compared to her early records. The former was sold for 2.4 million (as of Mar 31, 2004) while the latter dropped down to 1.2 million (as of Mar 31, 2007) copies according to EMI Annual Report 2004 (Operating Review section, pg.7) and EMI Annual Report 2007 respectively.
Handing the responsibility to Reid for Janet's next album, Dupri added that he will work in Mariah Carey's album. He said, "I'm going to do Mariah, and we're going to make it seem like we're in competition to see who's going to have the biggest album of the year."
