The pop legend is getting ready for her appearance as a headliner at Essence's annual music festival this weekend.
Talk about a stretch! Janet Jackson is getting ready to headline Essence's annual music festival in New Orleans on Saturday, and she took fans behind the scenes of a dance rehearsal that's reminding us all of how limber the pop legend truly is. On Wednesday, Jackson shared a video on Instagram showing off her flexibility while getting ready to join her dance crew.
"Trying to properly stretch before these rehearsals 🤸🏽♂️😂," the 56-year-old singer wrote in the caption.
In the video, Jackson is seen pulling her leg into a heel stretch while a group of backup dancers goes over their routine in the background. The music icon pulls the full heel stretch while lying flat on her back, an impressive feat that she makes look as easy as breathing!
Her fans and peers shared their awe of the singer's moves in her post's replies, with Kelly Rowland commenting, "Stretching EVERYDAY from now on!!"
In a recent interview for Essence's July/August issue, Jackson shared that she doesn't see her career as a reason to flash her success, despite being a five-time GRAMMY winner. "I’ve never been that person to have my awards on display," she says. "There’s nothing wrong with it, that’s just not me."
"Being able to wake up and see my baby another day," she explains of her 5-year-old son, Eissa. "The space I might be in at that moment within my soul. What I’ve accomplished within myself. How far I’ve come from that child there to the woman that I am today. That’s success. If you came to my home, you would never know -- if you did not know who I was -- that I am an entertainer. I don’t have one award on my wall."
Just like she's not focused on the awards, Jackson says getting her "due as an innovator of R&B" is something that has "never" crossed her mind.
"I’ve heard fans tell me we haven’t. Other artists have said the same thing. That never crossed my mind," she says. "That’s not important to me, whether I did or didn’t, to be quite honest. It’s really the body of music touching people and how it impacts their lives that matters to me. It’s not the accolades. I honestly don’t think about that stuff."
But new music is coming! The singer just doesn't have a set schedule she's keeping to.
"Sometimes things happen that you don’t expect to happen, and you have to figure things out -- or you’re in a space in your life when you have to take a step back and take a break for a minute," she admits. "Even though it’s something that I absolutely love, it still is my work, my job. There will be music at some point. Exactly when? I can’t say just yet, but there will be."
"I love it too much not to do it," she adds before saying that her "number one job is being a mama."
Jackson is set to headline the Essence Festival of Culture July 4th weekend in New Orleans.
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