20 Years Ago, Janet Jackson Invented Hot Girl Summer

“All For You” evokes the sexiness of summer and the thrill of new beginnings.

Ayesha K. Faines
ZORA

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Photo credit: PA Images via Getty Images

The year was 2001, and the airwaves thrummed with a sample of the familiar funk groove of Change’s “Glow of Love,” only instead of Luther Vandross’ velvety voice, it was Janet Jackson’s whisper enticing a man with a “nice package.”

With the debut of her album All for You, Jackson entered the new millennium with a midriff, highlights, and a whole new vibe. Following the dissolution of her low-profile marriage to long-time companion Rene Elizondo Jr., Jackson’s seventh studio album cemented her next chapter as an artist and as a newly single woman. Her new sound was dreamier, bright, and upbeat — sonic sunshine after the rain. And this new Janet Jackson wanted nothing more than to get a little frisky and find someone to call her lover.

A hot girl summer is not just about setting IG thirst traps. … It’s an attitude. It’s a commitment to living your best life, seizing the day, and feeling good.

From the sounds of waves crashing in the erotically charged “Would You Mind” to the infectious sampling of Change’s cookout classic in the title single, All for

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Ayesha K. Faines
ZORA
Writer for

I’m a columnist for Zora 🍯, founder of Women Love Power, talking head & salsera 💃🏾! WomenLovePower.com | IG & Twitter @ayeshakfaines.