Janet is the fifth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. It was released on May 18, 1993, by Virgin Records America. Prior to its release, Jackson was at the center of a high-profile bidding war over her recording contract. In 1991, her original label A&M sought to renew her contract, while others, such as Atlantic, Capitol, and Virgin all vied to sign her. After meeting with Virgin owner Richard Branson, she signed with the label. The contract was worth an estimated $40 million, making her the world's then-highest paid musical act. Janet marks Jackson's second eponymous record after her debut studio album, Janet Jackson. Its title, consisting of just her first name followed by a period, suggests a separation of her public image from the Jackson family and presents her as an independent artist. A R&B record, Janet incorporated pop, hip-hop, soul, funk, rock, house, jazz, and opera and moved away from the rigid, industrial sound of her previous records. Lyrically, the theme of Janet is sexual intimacy—an abrupt departure from her conservative image. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_(...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)