All About Janet Jackson's Son, Eissa Al Mana

Janet Jackson welcomed her son Eissa in 2017 at age 50

Janet Jackson has one main priority these days: her son Eissa, 7.

The "Miss You So Much" singer welcomed him on Jan. 3, 2017, at age 50, with her then-husband Wissam Al Mana. Three months after Eissa was born, Jackson and Al Mana split after five years of marriage.

Jackson quickly adapted to motherhood, telling The Sunday Times in June 2019, “I’m in a great space. I have a beautiful son.”

“My friends call me Superwoman,” she added. “God knows I’m not. But I think what they are seeing is the energy and that extra drive I’m getting from the inspiration of Eissa.”

Related: Janet Jackson Says Son Eissa Doesn't Know Mom Is Famous, But Friends Are 'Putting It Together'

She has also been open about how becoming a mom has impacted her life, including her music career. For Essence magazine's July/August 2022 issue, she spoke about her plans to release new music but noted that motherhood is her new top priority.

"Even though it's something that I absolutely love, it still is my work, my job," she said. "There will be music at some point. Exactly when? I can't say just yet, but there will be. I love it too much not to do it. This is all I know. There's so much that I want to do — but my number one job is being a mama."

Since his birth, Jackson has kept Eissa largely out of the public eye, seldom sharing photos of him on social media. She has, however, shared a few sweet anecdotes about her son over the years.

Keep reading for everything there is to know about Janet Jackson’s son, Eissa Al Mana.

He was born on Jan. 3, 2017

Jackson and Al Mana welcomed Eissa on Jan. 3, 2017.

“Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana are thrilled to welcome their new son Eissa Al Mana into the world. Janet had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortable,” a rep for Jackson shared with PEOPLE at the time.

Members of the Jackson family celebrated the news, including the new mom's siblings, La Toya and Jermaine Jackson, who shared congratulatory messages on social media. Her father, Joe Jackson, also celebrated the birth of his grandchild, both on social media and his website.

He made his social media debut at 14 weeks

Jackson shared the first photo of her son when he was 14 weeks old, just a few days after she and Al Mana split. The photo featured the infant yawning as Jackson pressed a kiss against his forehead.

“My baby and me after nap time,” she captioned the selfie.

He lives in London

While Jackson spent her childhood in Indiana before moving to Los Angeles, her son is growing up across the pond. The singer is co-parenting Eissa with her ex-husband in London.

He loves music

Eissa is already following in the footsteps of his musical family. During a February 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show, Jackson told host Jimmy Fallon that her toddler was already starting to show an interest in music.

During the interview, she also revealed that Questlove, the frontman of The Roots, gave her son a drum kit that he “loves.”

When Fallon joked that he’d give Eissa a harmonica, Jackson responded, “He has that already. He’s incredibly musical.”

He plays the cello

In the same interview with Fallon, Jackson said that her son first chose to play the violin when he was 2, but he soon changed his mind and swapped it for a different string instrument.

“He loves classical music. First day of school, he took the violin to school. Third day of school, he says, ‘Mama, I want to take a cello to school,’ ” she explained. “I said, ‘Baby, you don’t have a cello.’ He says, ‘I’ll take one but turn my violin into a cello, please Mama.' ”

Related: Janet Jackson Celebrates Son Eissa's 6th Birthday with Sweet Tribute: 'So Proud of Who You Are'

Jackson said that her assistant, Terry, used her creativity to craft a makeshift cello for Eissa.

“My assistant Terry — we were rushing for his class and she took a straw and taped it to the bottom of the violin. He loved it," she explained. "He was posing. He took it to school.”

However, Eissa told Jackson’s second assistant, Shanti, that his mother would buy him a real version of the instrument. She added, “So he has a cello ... He takes cello lessons. He loves his cello lessons.”

He loves Bruno Mars

Months after his first birthday, baby Eissa already had a favorite musician in mind: Bruno Mars. Jackson spoke to Billboard in May 2018 ahead of receiving the Billboard Icon Award, telling the outlet, “Bruno [Mars] was really the first music my son responded to.”

“During and after his birth, I comforted myself with Brazilian jazz, music that always relaxes me,” she added. “Then when the baby began crawling, Bruno was breaking out big and on the radio all the time. That delighted both of us.”

He imitates his late uncle Michael Jackson

Even as a toddler, Eissa was already starting to show interest in the family business, including imitating his late uncle Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009 at age 50.

In November 2019, Jackson appeared on the Australian show Carrie & Tommy and called her son “incredibly musical.” She said that he was a fan of watching her band perform and likes the “drums, violin, guitar, piano.”

“He makes up melodies, he carries a tune, he has really good pitch,” she said, adding that her son “does this thing that my brother [Michael Jackson] did from ‘[They Don't] Care About Us,’ the march and the hand.”

“He does a few things. He does the head [movement]. He loves ‘Smooth Criminal’ and the ‘Oooo,’ ” she explained.

However, if her son ultimately does not pursue music and entertainment as a career, she’s okay with it.

“It’s really about what he wants to do with his life,” she added.

He is friends with Ciara’s son

When Eissa was still an infant, Ciara and Jackson stopped by Disneyland for a playdate with their children, including Ciara’s eldest child, Future Zahir. Jackson’s former backup dancer James Collins posted a photo of the group on his Instagram Story, which featured both women holding their sons.

The "1, 2 Step" singer later shared a selfie of her and Jackson from the outing, as well as a video of her and Future on a roller coaster ride.

He loves Paw Patrol

Eissa is a big fan of the Nickelodeon animated series Paw Patrol. On Instagram in December 2019, Jackson showcased the stuffed animals that the series sent over to not only her son but to his classmates as well. The group of children posed in a group, proudly displaying their Paw Patrol toys, with many holding the toys high in the air.

“THANK U @PawPatrol for sending such amazing presents to my baby and giving gifts for all of his classmates,” she wrote in the caption on Instagram. “They love them so much.”

He doesn’t have a nanny

Jackson is a hands-on mother. In several interviews during the first years of Eissa’s life, she spoke about being a working mother, telling the Daily Telegraph’s Stellar magazine in August 2019: “It is hard being a working mother. I don’t have a nanny, I do it all myself.”

“Of course, when I’m working someone watches him, but it’s my baby and me,” she added.

When she appeared on Carrie & Tommy in November 2019, she discussed her decision to forgo hiring a nanny again. She said she was inspired by her own mother, who raised nine kids on her own.

“My mother [Katherine Jackson] did it. Her mother did it. Why can’t I? We’ll see. I’m sure I will need someone in the future, some help here and there, but I don’t have anyone [right now] and I love it,” she explained.

Related: Janet Jackson Says She Loves 'Everything' About Being a Mom to 6-Year-Old Son Eissa

Jackson said the experience can be “very tiring,” adding, “You never get enough sleep, never get enough sleep. And he always wakes me up, ‘Mama? Mama, Mama, get up. Mama get up, please. Mama, get up.’ ”

“I’ve always been a patient person, but there’s more patience that you have to have [in motherhood] and I never knew I was as patient as I really am,” she continued. “He’s first and foremost in my life. I get up, I go to sleep — everything is about him. He comes first in my life.”

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