Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are hard at work on Janet Jackson’s as-yet-untitled next Virgin album, due in 2006. Lewis says the trio, who are celebrating 20 years of working together, have found a new, yet familiar, rhythm.
“It used to be a lot of involvement from all of us, and at some point when Janet became more confident with her writing ability, she [did] the bulk of the writing,” he tells Billboard. “And it’s kind of back full circle. We’re all kind of back in there doing it again together, which I really enjoy.”
Jam adds, “It’s the physical nature of sitting in the same room and really hashing it out. It’s like, ‘You’re not going to leave until we got a lyric,’ so it’s fun.”
Some recording has taken place at Jermaine Dupri’s studio. Dupri, who is president of Virgin Urban and Jackson’s boyfriend, is also executive producer on the album.
The set will be the follow-up to 2004’s “Damita Jo,” released in the wake of Jackson’s disastrous appearance during the Super Bowl halftime show. The set debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 971,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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