Made For Now

Album: Single release only (2018)
Charted: 88
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This uplifting ode to living in the present is a collaboration with Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. It is Jackson's first single and music video since "Dammn Baby" was released in May 2016. During the mini hiatus, Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child in January 2017 and announced three months later she was divorcing her husband, Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana.
  • The song was produced by Harmony Samuels, who has crafted tracks for Ariana Grande ("The Way"), Fantasia ("Without Me") and Jennifer Lopez ("Let It Be Me"). It was Janet's A&R, JQ, who asked him to write some material for her. Samuels recalled to Billboard how writing song after song for 10 days, he was feeling he'd not come up with anything different to her normal sound.

    "I was scratching my head and pacing around the studio, like, what is it? One morning, it just hit me," Samuels said. "I quickly did research on her and she's never done an Afrocentric cultural record before. I said, perfect. That's exactly what I'm going to do: cultural, Afrocentric, with a little bit of Latino [inspiration] and we're gonna write a great record to it."
  • The first guitar line you hear in the song was something Samuels literally heard in his head while showering. He recalled: "I jump out the shower and scream, yes yes! I sing into my phone, I get in my clothes and run to the studio, speeding down the freeway like, this is going to be the record. I'm making the track and going crazy. We end up making the song, the team of us: Al Sherrod [Lambert], Shawn Butler, Verren Wade, Edgar 'JV' Etienne and myself. We're all just working together like, this is actually going to be perfect for Janet."
  • Jackson performed the song for the first time live with Daddy Yankee on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 17, 2018. It marked her first appearance on late-night television in the US in 14 years.
  • Shot in Brooklyn, New York, in July 2018, the music video was the work of American director Dave Myers. The clip takes place at a neighborhood dance party where we see Janet and Daddy Yankee throwing some moves supported by a contingent of international dancers from Ghana, Nigeria, Grenada, Trinidad and the US. The international dance crew was chosen by Jackson along with her longtime creative director, Gil Duldulao.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.