Janet Jackson is gearing up to blaze the stage as headliner at the 2018 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

It’s apt, then, that the Queen Of Pop appears a-front of the July/August issue of Essence Magazine.

Shining in a gorgeous gold suit, the singer beams as she flashes her trademark smile.

Within the pages of the prestigious publication, the 52-year-old opens up about darker times – specifically her battling depression.

Her words below…

Written as an emotional open letter, Jackson revealed that juxtaposed with the bright lights of her success were much more trying times. Particularly in her 30s and 40s. She wrote:

In my thirties: I was happy with my growth as an artist. I was happy to write and sing about life experiences, like sensual pleasure, and nonmaterial matters, like faith, with less self-consciousness. I’ve always tried to deepen my faith. I was happy that while I might not have found a spiritual solution to my problems, I was on a spiritual path. I read somewhere it’s not about the destination, but the journey. Deep down I may have known that true happiness is not in the accomplishment but in the learning process leading to accomplishment.

Yet I still had not embraced this idea. It was an abstract concept, not an emotional reality. These were difficult years, when I struggled with depression. The struggle was intense. I could analyze the source of my depression forever. Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards. And of course there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition. Thankfully, I found my way through it.

She continued…

“In my forties: Like millions of women in the world, I still heard voices inside my head berating me, voices questioning my value. Happiness was elusive. A reunion with old friends might make me happy. A call from a colleague might make me happy. But because sometimes I saw my failed relationships as my fault, I easily fell into despair.”

Now in her 50s and finalizing her divorce from Wissam Al Mana, Jackson says she’s happier than she has been in a while and that said joy comes from faith, work, and being a mother to son Eissa:

“…The height of happiness is holding my baby son in my arms and hearing him coo, or when I look into his smiling eyes and watch him respond to my tenderness. When I kiss him. When I sing him softly to sleep. During those sacred times, happiness is everywhere. Happiness is in gratitude to God. Happiness is saying, ‘Thank you, God, for my life, my energy and my capacity to grow in love.’ ”

***************

A stunning shoot paired with a compelling read.

It’s awesome having Janet “back” and embracing the spotlight by way of performances, magazine covers, and music.

As pertains the latter, word is that new material is set to drop imminently.

What is certain, in the here and now, is that the July/August issue of Essence hits newsstands on June 22nd!

Also look out for Janet when her ‘State Of The World Tour’ returns for its latest leg in July.

Your thoughts?

[Photo credit: Essence]