Janet Jackson Tells Radio Host She Doesn’t Like Giving Interviews: ‘Please Stop Asking Me Questions’

Janet Jackson would prefer to say less.

The Grammy-winning superstar, 58, revealed during a Wednesday, July 17 appearance on the radio program Heart Evenings with Dev Griffin that she doesn’t like giving interviews — or being asked questions at all.

She opened up about the topic after the radio host asked if there’s one particular question she’s sick of reporters asking her after a lifetime in the spotlight. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to be honest with you,” said Jackson. “Please stop asking me questions.”

The “Feedback” singer continued, “I’ve never thought I give a good interview. I really don’t like speaking, so I’d rather stay quiet and listen to other people talk, and that’s always been me.”

“Don’t ask me questions,” added Jackson with a smile on her face, appearing to make a slight joke. “Are we finished?”

Currently, the “All for You” performer is in the midst of her Together Again Tour’s second North American leg, which continues through July 30. She’ll then head to Europe in September for a string of shows through Oct. 13.

Elsewhere in the Heart Evenings interview, Jackson spoke about the fellow artists who’ve inspired her as an entertainer. “I have to exclude family because obviously that spoke to me first, seeing my brothers, my sisters, my cousin Stevie [Wonder] — seeing him perform was a huge inspiration,” she said.

She then went deep on her love for Earth, Wind & Fire. “My brothers would often take me with them when they would go to concerts, and I remember seeing Earth, Wind & Fire as a kid — just unforgettable,” said Jackson. “I’ll never forget that. Really blew me away, the musicianship, and then the body of work. I absolutely loved it.”

“And then I remember seeing Prince when I was in my early, early, early, early 20s,” she recalled. “He did some songs that I wasn’t that familiar with and didn’t do songs that I was familiar with, and I thought, ‘If I ever perform on this level, I don’t want to do that. I want to at least do songs that people are familiar with, for sure.'”