Janet Jackson has revealed she made an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in front of Queen Elizabeth during a Rhythm Nation performance.
The 58-year-old music icon ripped her pant legs right at the point of her ‘booty crack’ as she sang the iconic song for the world leader.
Janet recalled the accident as she detailed her fashion moments over the years with British Vogue.
‘Funny story about this outfit. I was performing for the Queen of England doing Rhythm Nation and sure enough, as soon as I squatted down, my pants ripped right on my butt.
‘I couldn’t believe it had happened. I thought, “Oh my God.” And then I started to feel air behind it, so I knew then that it had to have really happened.
Janet Jackson has revealed she made an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in front of Queen Elizabeth during a Rhythm Nation performance in the 1990s
The music icon, 58, ripped her pant legs right on her ‘booty crack’ while performing Rhythm Nation for Queen Elizabeth; the late monarch pictured in 2017
To avoid seeing the queen, she did not turn her back to her, despite the choreography requiring her to do so.
‘And the whole time it was fine until, “No, you’re going to perform for the Queen of England.” So I never turned my back on her. Which is exactly what part of the choreography should have done… I just looked forward.’
Jackson recalled the iconic military-inspired Rhythm Nation look she wore when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.
She said the look was inspired by the film adaptation of the book Fahrenheit 451.
‘And then I needed someone to build it and I thought, “Oh my God, who could do this for me?” I went to my brothers, they had someone they worked with a lot, his name was Bill Whitten.
“And Bill is the one – because all those signs had to be made. He did a fantastic job. Beautiful work.”
This is certainly not the first time Jackson has had to deal with wardrobe malfunctions on stage.
Janet shone brightly on stage at the Super Bowl in 2004 with her own set, but the night is now best known for her unfortunate wardrobe malfunction during a duet with Justin Timberlake.
Jackson recalled the iconic Rhythm Nation military look she wore when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990
The ‘N Sync star was a surprise guest and during part of the choreography, he removed part of Janet’s costume, revealing her right breast, adorned with a nipple shield in the shape of a sun.
The negative reactions had a major impact on Janet’s career in the years that followed, and the controversy overshadowed her performance that night for a long time.
Her career nearly came to a halt and Janet was forced to apologize for the incident during a major media tour, while Justin escaped relatively unscathed.
It wasn’t until The New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears came out that the topic came back into the spotlight.
Janet graced the Super Bowl stage in 2004 with her own set, but the night is now known for her unfortunate wardrobe malfunction during a duet with Justin Timberlake.
This prompted the Tennessee-born artist to publicly apologize to both women.
In the letter he wrote: ‘I sincerely regret the times in my life when my actions contributed to the problem, when I spoke up without being asked, or when I did not say what was right.
“I realize that in this and many other moments I have fallen short and that I have benefited from a system that tolerates misogyny and racism.”
Justin added: “I want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, because I care about and respect these women, and I know I failed.”
The controversy was recently revisited in the New York Times Presents documentary Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson.