Janet Jackson was in the House to celebrate ‘The Velvet Rope’
The pop legend surprised friends and fans at Shoreditch House to celebrate the 25th anniversary reissue of her iconic album
Monday 10 October 2022 By Soho House Photography by Feruza Afewerki
Last Friday, Janet Jackson fans came together at London’s Shoreditch House for an exclusive screening of Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope Tour (HBO) to celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary. The crowd had no idea that the legend herself would be making a surprise appearance. After the screening and greeting guests, Jackson took the mic to share memories of the album’s making.
Joined via live video by one of the album’s producers, Jimmy Jam, Jackson told the crowd, ‘This album is so, so close to me. I was going through so much in my life. It was so deep, in trying to find and figure out who I am, where I stand.’
A boundary-pushing departure from Jackson’s earlier releases, The Velvet Rope debuted at number one in the US in 1997 and sold more than four million copies worldwide (an astonishing figure in the pre-streaming age). With the album’s reissue last week, it topped the US Apple iTunes Store’s R&B/ Soul top sellers ranking.
Scroll down to see what went down.
