Janet Jackson’s baby helped her overcome depression

Janet Jackson and her son, Eissa

In an open letter published in Essence magazine, pop star Janet Jackson opened up about her depression, the societal pressure she has been facing for so long, and how her 1-year-old baby boy, Eissa, helped her become a happier person.

“The struggle was intense … Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards,” Janet wrote. “And of course there are always issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition. Thankfully, I found my way through it.”

But as a first-time mom at 52, Janet, who gave birth to Eissa in January last year, can finally say that she has experienced “the height of happiness.”

“It’s 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. When I kiss him. When I sing him softly to sleep,” said the singer-songwriter, who’s reportedly seeking divorce from Eissa’s father, Wissam Al Mana. “During those sacred times, happiness is everywhere.”

Zayn Malik wants ‘no-label’ relationship with Gigi Hadid

Zayn Malik (left) and Gigi Hadid

In March, Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid announced their breakup, only to be spotted kissing a few weeks after.

But while the couple seemed to have rekindled their romance, the pop star wasn’t keen on putting a label on it. “We’re adults. We don’t need to put a label on it, make it something for people’s expectations,” he said in an interview with GQ magazine.

“We’re still really good friends, and we’re still in contact,” stressed the former One Direction member, adding that he and the top model spends time in the farm he bought in Pennsylvania.

Gigi was one of the people who helped ease Zayn’s crippling anxiety and his “very negative outlook on things.” “That might have been adolescence or testosterone or whatever the f*ck was running through my body at the time. She’s helped me to look at things from a positive angle.”

She has also been helping Zayn with his work calendar. “She doesn’t handle my finances yet. We will get to that eventually,” he jested. —ALLAN POLICARPIO