Don't Give Up On Janet Jackson's Tour Just Yet

Fans were caught off guard when Janet Jackson announced in April 2016 that she was postponing the remainder of the scheduled North American shows of her Unbreakable World Tour to have a baby. Now, that baby's been born, and it's got people wondering, will Janet Jackson ever tour again? There's no reason to suspect otherwise. When Jackson first announced in a video message to fans that she and her husband Wissam Al Mana were "planning our family," she specifically said that she was delaying the second half of her tour, not canceling it.

"It's important that I do this now," Jackson told her fans. "I have to rest up, doctor's orders." The birth of Jackson's son, Eissa Al Mana, was announced via People on Tuesday, almost exactly nine months after the video was first posted. At that time, concert promoter Live Nation issued a statement to Rolling Stone assuring concertgoers, "The Janet Jackson Unbreakable Tour in North America will be postponed until 2017. New dates will be announced at a later time, and tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates." Fans were also notified that refunds could be obtained at the point of purchase. Jackson has yet to announce any new concert dates, but let's be real, she just had a baby.

While some are speculating that Jackson might put off touring now that she's "settled down," quite frankly, this isn't the 1960s, and women can have kids and a career now, including a career as a pop star. Pink, Beyoncé, and Adele have all recently returned to the stage after having children. And yes, Jackson's a bit older than them, but her contemporaries, such as Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez, are still performing as well.

Jackson's rep told People that the singer "had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably," which honestly seems like she's off to an amazing start as a mother, because I know plenty who can tell you that childbirth was nothing but stressful, and postpartum, they were anything but comfortable. It can take several weeks to recover from child, and Jackson deserves to spend time with her new baby before returning to a vigorous touring schedule (don't forget all that dancing), so let's all give her a couple of months to catch her breath before demanding anything more out of her. She's been touring consistently for 27 years; anyone who's waited this long to see her can surely stand another six months.