We've watched her grow up into a beauty with inner strength and radiance. Pop-R&B singer Janet Damita Jo Jackson (1966-) was born on this day in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine of the famous and talented Jackson family.

"People see me as the 'normal one,'" said Janet, who began singing with her family at age six and has matured into one of the world's most popular and successful pop stars.

"Her speaking voice," described Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Gordinier, "is like a bed: satin and pillowy on the surface, but firm underneath. Her body? Firm all over."

The firm Ms. Jackson cut her first solo album in 1982 and hit the big time in 1986 with the blockbuster Control, which sold over 13 million copies and produced five U.S. Top 10 singles. By the time she turned 30, she had sold 30 million albums.

About her creative process, she said, "I set out to please myself, hopefully in the end, the listeners will enjoy what I've created."

Finding time to act, she starred in television's Good Times (1977-1979) and Different Strokes (1981-1982), then hit the big screen with Poetic Justice (1993) and The Nutty Professor II (2000).

"Dreams can become a reality when we possess a vision that is characterized by the willingness to work hard, a desire for excellence, and a belief in our right and our responsibility to be equal members of society," she said.

With enough awards and accolades to power a comet, she continues to endure, selling out concerts and creating more music, like the hot, dance-driven All for You (2001) and controversial Damita Jo (2004)... With inner strength and endless talent...

"I used to hurt so badly that I'd ask God why, what have I done to deserve any of this?" Jackson once confessed. "I feel now He was preparing me for this, for the future. That's the way I see it."

More MUSIC Quotations

Oh. How beautiful YOU are!