Janet Jackson Delivers Iconic Hits Headlining 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans

Janet Jackson brought the house down at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, delivering a memorable performance that left fans in awe. The Grammy winner transformed the Big Easy into a Rhythm Nation with her passionate and energetic performance on the final day of the 30th ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans.

Kicking off her highly anticipated set with ‘No Sleeep’ and ‘Got ’til It’s Gone’, Jackson captivated a record-breaking crowd from the very first note. Her setlist was a journey through her iconic career, featuring classics like ‘All For You’, ‘If’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Any Time, Any Place’, and ‘I Get Lonely’.

Also Read: Usher, Janet Jackson and Backstreet Boys Set to Headline Lovers & Friends 2024 Festival

The performance continued with fan favourites such as ‘Love Will Never Do (Without You)’, a mashup of ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’ and ‘Get It Out Me’, as well as ‘The Pleasure Principle’, ‘You Want This’, ‘When I Think of You’, ‘Control’, ‘Alright’, and ‘Miss You Much’. A special mashup of ‘Nasty’ and Juvenile’s ‘Back That Azz Up’ was also part of her electrifying ESSENCE performance. 

Additionally, Jackson paid tribute to her late brother Michael Jackson by covering their duet, ‘Scream’. To finish up her festival set, she wowed the crowd with her 1989 hit ‘Rhythm Nation’. Jackson headlined the festival alongside stars like Usher and Birdman, celebrating the festival’s star-studded 30th anniversary. Other performers throughout the four-day festival included Victoria Monét, Charlie Wilson, T-Pain, and Busta Rhymes.

In an Instagram video collaboration with ESSENCE, Jackson shared what she loves about the festival compared to other performances. “I think the one thing people can expect more of that they really never got, I talk a little bit more during this show than I normally do,” she said. “So I’ve heard people say that they enjoy seeing my personality come during the show.”

Jackson’s appearance at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture coincided with the last month of her 2024 Together Again Tour. The 35-date tour, announced in January as an extension of her 2023 tour of the same name, will wrap in Amsterdam on October 10. According to a press release, Jackson’s 2024 tour “builds on the success of the 2023 run” and features Nelly as a special guest for the entire leg.

-Sushmita Sarkar