"To have someone to relate to and hopefully enjoy the music and get a positive message out of it, to make the best music that we possibly could, those were the goals"
About this Quote
The stack of verbs - relate, enjoy, get, make - reads like a mission statement from the studio floor. It’s practical, collective, and revealingly non-diva. Even the hedges ("hopefully", "possibly") matter: they soften authority while underscoring a perfectionist ethic. She isn’t promising transcendence; she’s promising effort, craft, and an intention not to waste your time.
The subtext is the Janet Jackson brand at its peak: pop as permission. "Positive message" doesn’t mean bland uplift so much as agency - the insistence that dance music can carry self-respect, sexual autonomy, and emotional clarity without apologizing for being catchy. It also echoes the New Jack Swing and R&B-pop era where mainstream success often came with moral scrutiny; she answers that pressure by articulating purpose, not defensiveness.
Contextually, this sounds like the worldview behind her most era-defining work: albums designed as communal spaces, where personal narrative becomes shared ritual. The goal isn’t just hits. It’s resonance, and a kind of care disguised as groove.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jackson, Janet. (2026, January 17). To have someone to relate to and hopefully enjoy the music and get a positive message out of it, to make the best music that we possibly could, those were the goals. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-have-someone-to-relate-to-and-hopefully-enjoy-62323/
Chicago Style
Jackson, Janet. "To have someone to relate to and hopefully enjoy the music and get a positive message out of it, to make the best music that we possibly could, those were the goals." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-have-someone-to-relate-to-and-hopefully-enjoy-62323/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To have someone to relate to and hopefully enjoy the music and get a positive message out of it, to make the best music that we possibly could, those were the goals." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-have-someone-to-relate-to-and-hopefully-enjoy-62323/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.






