Janet Jackson began to cry during a concert at Barclay's Center Wednesday night, as per Radar Online. She was in the middle of singing her 1997 song "What About," which Radar Online points out is a song about domestic abuse.
"This right here, is me," Jackson, 51, told the crowd. The song is explicit — she sings, "What about the times you hit my face?"
A similar thing happened at one of Jackson's concerts in Houston in September. During the song "What About," Jackson put her hands on her knees and leaned over, seemingly exhausted. She told the crowd, "This is me." That performance in full has been published on YouTube.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
This has been a turbulent year for Jackson. "State of the World" tour aside, Jackson had a child with estranged husband Wissam Al Mana, whom she's currently divorcing. Her son Eissa was born in January. News broke in April that Jackson and Al Mana were divorcing. Though Jackson and Al Mana have been largely private for the duration of their relationship — she announced in 2013 that she and Al Mana married the previous year, unbeknownst to the public — their divorce has stirred a fascination with the couple. In April, the Daily Beast wrote a comprehensive summary of the divorce proceedings, pointing out that Jackson could potentially earn $200 million in the divorce. (Al Mana runs a luxury goods business called Al Mana group. He's worth an estimated $1 billion.)
The singer hasn't given any interviews regarding the divorce but brother Randy Jackson told People in September that she suffered "verbal abuse" at the hands of Al Mana. Al Mana's lawyers then issued a statement saying that he would respond to this allegation.
Watch the full clip of Jackson performing in Houston, below.
Read These Stories Next: