A new interview with Jenna Dewan offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at life on tour with Janet Jackson, just as the music icon enters a new business chapter. The comments arrive days after Jackson signed a global administration deal with Believe Music Publishing, bringing her full catalog under the company’s umbrella.
Speaking on the Chicks in the Office podcast on March 23, Dewan reflected on joining Jackson’s tour as a teenager and quickly being thrown into a fast-moving world. “I was 18 when I started working with her… I was the baby,” she said, explaining that most of the dancers were several years older.
The experience, she added, was immediate and intense: “It was wild. It was crazy. It was insanely amazing. It was all things.”
The pace of the tour left little room to adjust. “We were on a world tour for two years. So, we went everywhere. Everywhere,” Dewan said, describing constant travel between cities and countries, including stops in Paris, Japan, and Hawaii. She recalled the lifestyle as nonstop, with performances, travel days, and brief breaks blending together.
Offstage, Dewan described moments that reflected how young she was at the time. “Janet was sneaking me into clubs,” she said, recalling how she navigated those experiences while still only 18.
Before joining the tour, Dewan had been enrolled at the University of Southern California but chose to leave. “I called my dad, and I was like, ‘So, I’m leaving school. I’m going on tour with Janet Jackson,” she said. “Leave of absence… never come back.”
Despite the move, Dewan says she has no regrets about leaving college. “I wanted to be a Janet dancer more than I wanted anything in my entire life,” she said, noting that she had studied Jackson’s performances long before landing the role.
She also confirmed that their connection has lasted: “She’s actually a friend of mine still.”
The interview lands as Jackson’s career continues to evolve beyond touring and recording. Her new deal with Believe Music Publishing consolidates a catalog that spans 11 studio albums, more than 180 million records sold, and decades of chart success—including her first Hot 100 No. 1, “When I Think of You,” from Control.
