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Janet Jackson made a virtual appearance onThe Tonight Show Wednesday to promoteJanet Jackson, the new four-part docuseries about her life and career that aired last month on Lifetime and A&E.
Sporting a relaxed, casual look, the pop superstar tells host Jimmy Fallon she was overwhelmed by the response to the documentary. According toVariety, over 15.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the series across the two nights it aired.
“I’m very thankful that so many people watched it and enjoyed it,” she says. “It was all such a surprise to me. I was not expecting any of it…I was just really so, so worried that people would find it boring, to be quite honest with you.”
The documentary, which Jackson says was filmed over the course of five years, follows the singer’s rise from a childhood spent in the shadows of her famous siblings to becoming a global (if not somewhat reluctant) superstar in her own right.
“It’s been almost 50 years that I’ve been doing this,” Jackson explains. “I thought it would be best to tell my story, if I can, as opposed to having someone else tell it for me.”
During the interview, Fallon playfully jokes that Jackson may have felt somewhat obligated to include Questlove, the drummer forThe Tonight Showhouse band The Roots, in the production — a suggestion Jackson quickly shoots down.
“It was very important to have Quest in the documentary,” she said. “He was such a huge supporter in getting me inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with all the fans. I just can’t thank him enough. That’s just a huge moment in my career, in my life.”
The documentary also includes interviews with a host of other celebrities, including Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and Paula Abdul.
Near the interview’s conclusion, Fallon asks Jackson if “Love I Love,” an unreleased song heard briefly during a segment of Janet Jackson, would see an official release sometime in the future — or if the “Escapade” hitmaker had plans to produce new music in the coming years.
“It’s so funny because that’s — it was a song that I recorded, like, three years ago,” the singer says of “Love I Love.” “And, in the documentary, we thought, ‘Oh, this would be cool to put this song right here in this moment, this piece in the documentary.’ And, everyone started reacting to it. So I dunno. We’ll just have to see. Maybe.”
