Though going out
on tour means connecting with fans, it can also mean
long hours, high stress, and sleepless nights. Janet Jackson
says she's looking forward to all of it.
''I love all of
that, all of that pressure, I really do,'' Jackson told
the Associated Press Monday as she gears up for a North
American tour to kick off in September.
The tour, which
opens in Vancouver, Canada, on September 10 and includes
dates in New York and Washington, D.C., is Jackson's first
in seven years. But the singer, who just turned 42
last week, said she hadn't planned on waiting so long.
''I was supposed
to go on tour with the last album,'' said Jackson,
referring to the 2006 CD 20 Y.O. But the singer
said her record label wanted her to wait for her latest CD, Discipline.
''We were
actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ...
learning numbers, getting everything together, set
designs,'' she said. ''I had to kind of shut
everything down and go into the studio.''
Jackson's shows
have always been heavy on choreography and glitzy sets.
But she promised fans some surprises this time around.
''It will
definitely be a big production, but it will definitely also
be something that I've never done before, that people
have never seen from me before,'' she said.
While only a few
dates have been announced for the Live Nation tour,
Jackson expects to take the Rock Witchu tour (named, by the
way, for a song on her new album, not for her brother
Michael's famous hit) worldwide.
''It's been a
while so I really want to make my rounds,'' she said. ''I
haven't been to Australia in a very long time; I can't wait
to go there. There are a lot of places where I really
want to stop off at, and that's the idea, that's the
goal with this tour."
Tickets go on
sale June 7. (AP)