We sat down with Paula Varjack who’s new show Nine Sixteenths unpacks the rise, fall and rise again of Janet Jackson, and what it says about how women, and especially black women, are treated by the media. Although dealing in serious issues the show is fast, fun and hugely entertaining. It is set in a world of mainstream pop culture, stadium concerts, tv studios and uses light, sound, music and dance – and its host venue and audience – to tell the story. It will leave you in no doubt of the pivotal role Jackson played in modern popular culture, paving the way for Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Rhianna amongst many others.
What inspired you to create “Nine Sixteenths,” and how does Janet Jackson’s personal story resonate with your own experiences as a Black female artist in the entertainment industry?
I’ve always been fascinated by popular culture. In the last four years, I’ve noticed a revisiting of women in the public eye, those mistreated in the late nineties and early noughts, women like Monica Lewinsky, Britney Spears and of course Janet Jackson. There’s also been a big y2k revival in fashion, and a general nostalgia for this period of time.
This brought me back to Janet Jackson’s music videos that I loved as a child, discovering she made many albums, videos and films after 2004, that I’d never heard of. I couldn’t fathom how I’d missed these. I then discovered that this was mostly because of an industry executive who, enraged by the Superbowl incident, tried to block her career!
The demographics of those in positions of power in the media hasn’t changed much since 2004. More diverse voices may be visible across mainstream media and popular culture, but those that run the platforms are still pretty homogeneous. I was keen to expose this as a way of unpacking the structures that impact what we see and experience.
Janet Jackson is often described as kind and gracious. From the age of five as a performer she has had several decades of a groundbreaking career. Yet a half second incident led to her career being blocked for many years. I also carry the fear that one day, something I haven’t planned for going wrong could completely derail my career. So I also wanted the show to interrogate that fear.
Your show explores the pivotal impact of the 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” on Janet Jackson’s career, as well as the starkly different consequences faced by Justin Timberlake. What do you think this reveals about how the media treats women, especially Black women, in the entertainment industry?
In 2024 someone who idly scrolls on their phone for a few minutes sees far more diverse racial representation in five or ten minutes then I did in months as a teenager in the 90s. The downside of this of course, is now we live in a world where the scrutiny comes multidimensionally for all of us with any presence online.
A more diverse range of stories and artists are being supported. But when you look at the people who are in positions and power, in pretty much every single field I can think of – within Europe in America anyway – diversity in terms of race gender sexuality still has an extremely long way to go, the major decision makers are largely still older straight white men of considerable wealth, impacting on what cultural work is supported.
You mention that Janet Jackson was a role model for you at a time when there were few Black female artists to look up to. Why do you think having role models like Jackson is so crucial for women of colour, especially in today’s pop culture landscape?
So I only very recently found out that a quote I often see on instagram, (via Dr. Ronx a trans non-binary emergency doctor and activist I follow on IG, follow them!)
“You can’t be what you can’t see” is from an activist called Marian Wright Edelman. She was an important civil rights activist who was very influential to the thinking of Martin Luther King. This quote is rooted in the civil rights movement and I think it’s absolutely true. It’s very hard to imagine yourself in a dream if you’ve never seen yourself represented in it. The legacy of imperialism and white supremacy mean that sometimes even when someone from a marginalised group has lived your dream, the story of can be lost.
This modelling of aspirations cannot be underestimated. It is so vital. It can motivate dreaming ourselves forward, or even daring to dream at all to start. I have experienced this myself as someone inspired by women (and queer women) of colour, to try out something I might not have otherwise done. As someone who also has worked and continues to as a facilitator, teacher and mentor, I’m also aware that there are those who look to me as an example.
But, as much as I rate the importance of role models setting good examples, and of meaningful diversity and inclusion, representation in itself isn’t enough. Our icons may pave the way in some areas and let us down in others. By continually seeing and hearing harmful representations of ourselves within our gender, our race and other characteristics we can carry the weight of harmful projection.
“Nine Sixteenths” is described as both serious and entertaining, blending elements like music, dance, and light to tell its story. How did you approach balancing the fun aspects of pop culture with the deeper societal issues you’re addressing in the show?
Whenever I make a show I always want to create a balance between creating a an enjoyable and engaging night out and helping the audience to think about aspects of culture and their relationship to it that maybe they might not have considered before. – or sharing stories that maybe they might have felt that they were alone in and amplifying them – to show that y that they’re part of a collective experience. I guess that’s why I am always riffing on pop culture in content and shortcuts to it.
In some ways how I make performance, is adjacent to meme and digital culture – where you are constantly sampling and referencing something that exists but putting your own spin on it. This show is built on a series of moments within my own life as well as from popular culture. Some of these events become inherently funny (or disturbing or both!) just by putting a light on what happened. The rehearsal room has been a lot of fun!
Nine Sixteenths is also a show featuring a lot of pop music, fun choreography, and fun and funny interjections between me and my amazing ensemble. The other performers all have the most incredible backgrounds in performance, dance, acting and movement direction, they’re incredible characters with warm rich hilarious energy. It’s been such joy being in the rehearsal room with them and I can’t wait to share that energy very night with the audience
With Janet Jackson herself touring the UK in 2024 and this being the 20th anniversary of “Nipplegate”, what do you hope audiences take away from your show in terms of rethinking this pivotal event and its lasting impact on Jackson’s legacy?
I think the main thing that I would love the audience to walk away feeling and thinking is that Janet Jackson is an icon for very good reasons and that black women are amazing. The endurance of black women in light of/in spite of many obstacles they have to face on a day-to-day basis and yet still continued to excel is extraordinary and deserves celebration.
In terms of reflecting on the event, in this time where we have all kind of become broadcasters I hope the show makes audiences really think about the implications of our power to publish and share content online.
Nine Sixteenths may be exploring a moment from 20 years ago, a very different period of time in terms of media and broadcasting, but I think there’s lessons in the way the backlash occurred that is still permeates how we engage with popular culture.
Nine Sixteenths can be seen on 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 November at 7.30pm and on Saturdays 9 and 16 November at 3pm & 7.30pm at London’s Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF
020 7609 1800
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/nine-sixteenths