NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pop superstar and new mother Janet Jackson said Monday she will resume a tour after a nearly two-year break as she confirmed separating from her husband.
Jackson, who had abruptly suspended a tour in 2015 amid the surprise news she was pregnant, announced 56 concerts across North America later this year.
In an online message to fans, Jackson voiced gratitude for her four-month-old son Eissa and acknowledged splitting with her third husband, Qatari tycoon Wissam Al Mana.
“Yes, I separated from my husband, we are in court, and the rest is in God’s hands,” said the 50-year-old younger sister of late king of pop Michael Jackson as she lay on a pillow.
Jackson has been discreet since marrying Al Mana, whose company sells luxury fashion brands across Gulf Arab kingdoms and who is estimated to be worth $1 billion.
She initially kept their 2012 wedding private and repeatedly postponed her tour before announcing her pregnancy, which came at an unusually late age.
Jackson in her video said she was changing the name of her tour which was initially called “Unbreakable” after her 2015 album, her first since her brother’s death.
The tour — to begin on September 7 in Lafayette, Louisiana and close on December 17 in Atlanta — will now be called “State of the World.”
“It’s not about politics. It’s about people, the world, relationships and, just, love,” Jackson said.
“I want to thank you guys for your patience, for all your support throughout the years,” she said to fans.
The tour includes “Unbreakable” dates that she had tentatively scrapped. However, she has not immediately rescheduled dates in Europe that she canceled last year.
The reasons behind Jackson’s separation remain murky, with one tabloid saying Al Mana had been too controlling but other reports saying the split was amicable.
Al Mana has publicly declared his love for Jackson, recently voicing hope that “we will be together in the Great Forever.”
“To the most beautiful person in the world, thank you for your divine love, your eternal support and for being my best friend,” he wrote on his website.
Jackson won a major fan base in the late 1980s with her albums “Control” and “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814” as she incorporated the emerging genre of hip-hop into her funk-influenced pop music.
Jackson was one of the pioneers of elaborately choreographed live shows as she brought in socially conscious messages including calls for women’s empowerment.
© Agence France-Presse