It's fair to say that Janet Jackson had an advantage that most people didn't when it comes to breaking into show business; she was a Jackson. She could easily have taken the same route as all her brothers; joining the family group and branching out from there, but Janet has always preferred to do things her own way. She did make a couple of appearances on the Jacksons' TV show in 1976, but was offered a part in 'Good Times' and decided to take that route instead.
For a while it looked like she'd pursue acting instead of singing, as she picked up parts in 'Diff'rent Strokes' and 'Fame,' but the family business was always bound to grab her in the end. Her first attempt didn't really work, with her debut album coming out when she was sixteen and barely troubling the charts at all. She could have gone back to acting. Instead, she fired her own father and took control of her own image and future. The result was 1986's 'Control,' which went platinum five times.