Global icon Janet Jackson beams on the July/August issue of ESSENCE magazine, where she is opening up about finding her joy through the years.

“When it comes to happiness, I’m no expert,” the 52-year superstar writes in the feature story. “I have only my life experience as a guide. I’ve known great happiness and great sadness. But I guess the key question is, What do I really know about happiness?”



In a heartfelt letter to readers, the ESSENCE Festival headliner answers that question with a level of candidness she has rarely shown before.

“In my forties: Like millions of women in the world, I still heard voices inside my head berating me, voices questioning my value,” Jackson shares. “Happiness was elusive. A reunion with old friends might make me happy. A call from a colleague might make me happy. But because sometimes I saw my failed relationships as my fault, I easily fell into despair.”



Despite the valleys, the 52-year-old entertainer has managed to navigate life with an enthusiasm and work ethic that’s difficult to match. Now she finds pieces of paradise in her relationship with God, the inspirational people she surrounds herself with, and in the presence of her 1-year-old son Eissa.

“The height of happiness is holding my baby son in my arms and hearing him coo, or when I look into his smiling eyes and watch him respond to my tenderness,” Jackson shares. “When I kiss him. When I sing him softly to sleep. During those sacred times, happiness is everywhere. Happiness is in gratitude to God. Happiness is saying, ‘Thank you, God, for my life, my energy and my capacity to grow in love.’ ” Take a behind-the-scenes look at her shoot below:

Academy Award-nominee Taraji P. Henson, Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer and Grammy-nominated music star Janelle Monáe, the incredibly talented cast of 'Hidden Figures', regally grace the February issue of Essence magazine.

The film, which is playing in select cities now, tells the untold story of three black women's groundbreaking efforts to send the first Americans into space in the 1960s. The women, also known as NASA's "colored computers", broke down racial and gender barriers.

Henson, who plays lead mathematician Katherine Johnson, told the magazine what it meant to her to portray her character. "When I was growing up, people told me out of their mouths math and science are for boys," she told the publication. "Like, no one showed me how to fall in love with numbers. If I had a teacher like Mrs. Johnson, who knows, I might be on the moon."

Actress Gabrielle Union, who currently stars in 'The Birth of a Nation' and will next be seen in 'Almost Christmas', glows on the November issue of Essence magazine, where she sounds off on the Nate Parker controversy, raising black boys and fighting for a seat at the table.

On 'The Birth of a Nation' Controversy:
"The sole reason I took the movie was so I could talk about how sexual violence has historically been used as a weapon of mass destruction. Used against women and families since the dawn of time, and how we are still faced with this , the voicelessness, the powerlessness. As a rape survivor and as an advocate, I cannot shy away from this responsibility because the conversation got difficult. I don't want to put myself above anyone's pain or triggers. Every victim or survivor, I believe you. I support you. I support you if you don't want to see the film. I absolutely understand and respect that. I can't sell the film."

On Raising Black Boys In America:
"Until they walk through the door, I'm terrified. Sometimes I just want to stay off my timeline because it makes those waits until they walk through the door a thousand times worse. Just envisioning them as a hashtag."

On Fighting For A Seat At The Producer's Table:
"I don’t just want to be a hired gun. I want to have a little bit more control over the narrative. The only way I can be empowered to do that is to be a producer. Now with as many projects that will have me, it’s part of the deal."

Peep her stunning cover below and pick up the November issue, available now on newsstands.

R&B singer Ciara, who is currently working on her new album and planning her wedding to NFL star Russell Wilson, brightens up the May issue of Essence magazine, where she dishes on motherhood and why she feels you can have exactly what you want. Read excerpts below:

On Baby Future:
"I’d always wanted to have my own family. And my pregnancy was planned when I was at a point in my life when I was finally ready to take on the responsibility."

On Her Breakup With Future:
"That wasn’t necessarily part of my vision. But the moment I realized I was going to be a single mother, I had to reflect and reorganize my thoughts. I decided to trust that God had a plan for me, and move forward one day at a time."

On Her Fiance Russell Wilson:
"I remember telling my friend the kind of guy I wanted: a God-fearing man with a very fun spirit who loves kids and would really, truly care for me. I was very specific because I do believe you can have it all."

Kelly Rowland finally feels like she has it all: a successful career, a supportive husband in Tim Weatherspoon and a beautiful baby boy named Titan Jewell Weatherspoon.

In the April issue of Essence magazine, Titan makes his cover debut and she dishes on her difficult journey to happiness. "My road to my happiness hasn't been an easy one. It hasn't been peachy all the time, but I am so, so happy," she says, while reflecting on a year that saw her walk down the aisle, give birth to her son and suddenly lose her mother. Peep another shot below:

Battle of the Sexes!!! The women and men of 'Think Like A Man Too', the sequel to the hit 2012 film, team up for separate covers of the July 2014 issue of Essence magazine.

The ladies (Meagan Good, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, La La Anthony and Regina Hall) look lovely in white, while the guys (Romany Malco, Terrence J, Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart and producer Will Packer) cause a bit of outrage by not featuring non-black cast members Jerry Ferrara and Gary Owens. Peep two more photos and watch the theatrical trailer beneath:

Showing off her thousand-watt smile and flawless skin, actress Gabrielle Union fronts the December 2013 issue of Essence magazine, where she dishes on her mean girl past, her new 'Being Mary Jane' sereis and losing out on 'Scandal'.

"Going in for Scandal, Shonda [Rhimes] empowered every Black woman who came through her door," the 41-year-old beauty admitted. "Even if I don’t get the next job, or the next five jobs, I don’t want to be treated less than how Shonda treated me."

"I was one of the last five or ten to audition…when Kerry got it, I congratulated her. Now after each episode, I’m leading the charge, like Gladiators, stand up! I’m obsessed with the show." The newest issue of the publication will hit newsstands on November 8th.

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross, who will star in the forthcoming BET sitcom 'Reed Between the Lines', covers the September 2011 issue of Essence magazine.

In the issue on newsstands August 12th, she talks about her return to television after 'Girlfriends', her current outlook on life and her love for all things fashion.