Jermaine Jackson
Why he was here
Jermaine Jackson is a music icon turned humanitarian. The older brother of Michael and Janet has been quietly working behind the scenes with the UN, Earth Care International and other such charities for over 20 years. He was in Dubai recently to announce his latest brainchild – CTAO (Coming Together as One) – a televised awards show to honour and celebrate celebrities using their fame for humanitarian causes.
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“We want to honour visionaries like late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bob Geldof, Angelina Jolie, Jimmy Carter, and Al Gore,” said Jermaine.
He and baby sis, Janet, conceptualised the event and have selected Dubai as the home base for several reasons, as Jermaine said:
“Dubai is the new global hub and so many cultures come together here. Janet and I couldn’t think of a better place.”
Besides Dubai being a cultural intersection for the modern world, Jermaine also took interest in the GCC after a life-changing visit to Bahrain 1989, whereby he converted to Islam. He has since made regular visits to this region and has watched it grow. Jermaine also added:
“Plus, I love this town (Dubai). It’s amazing and alive. Now I’ll have an excuse to come here more often.”
(Exclusive)
Doin’ it Jackson style
You may have already heard that Jermaine Jackson was in Dubai to promote his upcoming charity awards show, CTAO, but only Men’s Style spent the day with a Jackson. Manila Chansmouth hangs out with the music legend.
In recent memory, Jermaine Jackson seems to be the only Jackson that has kept himself relatively out of the negative press of rag-mags.
The fourth Jackson (out of nine) has been in the public eye since childhood and was one of the core members of The Jackson 5. We all know that younger brother, Michael and little sister, Janet have gone on with continued world-wide success since childhood but Jermaine, too, has found great success behind the scenes.
At age 54, Jermaine is now a married father of seven, Grammy nominated musician (for vocals and bass guitar), a reality TV star, producer, songwriter and most recently – a global humanitarian.
He was charming, sweet, polite, witty and surprisingly shy.
“Most people are pretty shocked to find out that we’re all pretty quiet and shy. Michael, Janet, me, Tito – all of us. It’s really hard for people to get their heads around that because they have seen us performing our whole lives but that’s who we are on stage. We’re actually more comfortable on stage than off.
“We grew up in a really big family and manners were a big deal in the household, so we all tend to be kind of quiet,” said Jermaine.
Speaking of big families, with seven kids of his own, one can’t help but wonder if a second generation Jackson 5 was a possibility. Would his kids follow in the family business of music?
“My kids are all pretty musically inclined. It’s in our blood. But I’m not one to pressure them. I would be supportive of anything my kids chose to be. All I want, all I hope and expect out of them is that they grow up to be good human beings. That’s first and foremost. You can be the biggest star on stage but the biggest, horrible person off stage.
“But they do it all. They play golf, they play basketball, they play instruments, they sing. Whatever my kids want to be, I would be supportive of. I just want them to be happy. But they do show lots of signs of interest in music.”
As I was talking to this man, the Jackson legend faded into the background. Before me was a beaming father and an earnest, hard-worker as we began to talk show-biz.
The Jackson 5 was formed by father Joe Jackson in 1966, when Jermaine was just 12 years old. Literally having grown up in the music industry, Jermaine has seen the ever-evolving industry produce many fly-by-night, flash in the pan, artists and laughed about how much easier this crop of musicians have it.
“See, we weren’t an overnight sensation. We did the clubs, we did little show after show, we did everything to build a name for ourselves. We put in all the hard work. It’s really blood, sweat and tears but the kids today, everything is so easy.
“At the push of a button, the click of a mouse, a couple calls on a cell phone, and instantaneously these young musicians put their music in front of people. They don’t know what it’s really like to really get in there and pay the dues. Things come so much easier for these kids. I think that’s why a lot of them get into trouble. They make a song, put it on MySpace, suddenly they get some fame without the hard work. When you haven’t put in the blood, sweat and tears, you don’t have as much invested – so you don’t have the tools. You’re not ready.”
Despite allegations of family turmoil, individual problems from each of the nine Jacksons like divorce, lawsuits, religion swapping, and almost anything you can dream up – the Jackson clan has remained very close.
“I still remember the days when we were kids in Gary, Indiana. We used to wait outside the Salvation Army, waiting for them to open so we can go in and get some clothes. I mean, this was life. This was how we grew up. We’re grounded, we know where we come from. That’s why we know where we’re going.
“We have stuck together, through thick and thin. We remember our roots.”
As Jermaine reminisced about his youth, it wasn’t long before Michael’s name cropped up. While he insisted that he and all eight of his siblings were very tight and see each other frequently despite hectic schedules, he talked about being thick as thieves with his younger brother and admitted to being mischievous little scamps.
“Michael is my heart. Don’t get me wrong, nobody is my favorite, it’s just that Michael is my heart. I’m not saying that because of his popularity. We were just the closest. My dad kept us together most of the time when we toured. We used to run around the neighbourhood playing pranks on people. Those were the good old days. Now, I’m a dad myself. It’s funny how time flies.”
Life for Jermaine and his children couldn’t be any more different than his childhood in Gary, Indiana.
Today he and his family reside in the ritzy area of Calabasas, California near Malibu. This tiny town boasts some of the biggest names in show biz as residents. The likes of Cher, Britney Spears, and Kim Kardashian live in his neighbourhood.
His years of hard work in the music industry has certainly carved a comfortable life but don’t be fooled – Jermaine Jackson is no slacker.
“I don’t really have an average day like other dads. One day I am home and the next day I could be in South Africa meeting with Nelson Mandela or at the UN giving a speech, but I do get up at about 5 am every day to do my prayers. When I’m home though, I have a routine.
“Every night, I lay out my children’s clothes for school the next day. I like being a Mr Mom a little bit because I’m away frequently. So after my prayers, I get some food ready for the kids, breakfast, sometimes I pack lunch. Then I take them to school myself. While they’re in school, I meet up with my brothers to work on our projects. Come 3 o’clock, I pick the kids up and take them to golf lessons or music lessons or whichever activity is planned for that day. At night, we have dinner like a normal family.”
Calabasas, because of the high concentration of celebrities, is a paparazzi hot-bed. Jermaine admitted to having tons of bad photos taken by the paps while out and about running errands over the years but as he put it:
“I’m actually very neat. My mother says that me, Latoya, and Michael are the neatest of the kids. We usually dress up all the time. My brother Tito, on the other hand, he just throws on whatever and a baseball cap.
“These guys love to just get you when you’re at your worst. But I’m used to it now. That’s just a reality of my life. My kids know who they are, what they are. The little ones don’t know any different – that other kids don’t have photographers following them around.”
If Jermaine’s offspring are anything like the rest of the Jacksons, they’re style will be unmistakable. There is just an air to the Jacksons, something almost magical about these people. They are music royalty. When it comes fashion, there is something uniquely ‘Jackson.’
“I actually design all my own clothes. No joke. I have some nice designer pieces and Levi’s like everyone else too but most of what you’ll see me wearing are my own original designs. Right now I have about 80 pieces that I’ve sketched out by hand. I have this fantastic Indian tailor in Bahrain who brings my creations to life. We like to have our own style.”
So what is the ‘Jackson style’?
“We like to do and be what hasn’t been done. Whether it’s fashion or music or anything. We’re dreamers. Imagination is a word my family lives by. Even though each of us has our own unique style, different than each other’s, we just create our own paths of style rather than following what someone else tells us is their opinion of good style. Independence, innovation, imagination is probably what I call Jackson style.”
Tidbits you didn’t know about Jermaine Jackson:
- He loves coconut and chocolate candy bars like Bounty, Almond Joy and Mounds
- His hobby is ironing. Yes, he adores pressing his own clothes and notes being obsessed with using heavy starch
- He is a vegetarian
- Enjoys Indian cuisine
- Married to an Afghani woman
- His Muslim name is Mohammed Abdul Aziz Sharif
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