NEWSParis Jackson Reveals The Life Lessons She's Learned From Her Late Father Michael Jackson
Dec. 7 2022, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Just 11 when she lost her famous father, Paris Jackson still carries him with her.
Michael Jackson may have been worth more than a billion dollars, but his kids didn’t get anything handed to them. “Growing up, it was about earning stuff,” Paris says of her childhood with brothers Prince Michael, 24, and Bigi (a.k.a. Blanket), 19. “If we wanted five toys from FAO Schwarz or Toys R Us, we had to read five books. It’s earning it.”
That’s just one of the lessons the singer/songwriter took from the King of Pop. “It’s earning it, not just being entitled to certain things or thinking, Oh, I got this,” she said. “It’s working hard for [something] … it’s an accomplishment.”
As a result, the 23-year-old shared, she’s not afraid to hustle to launch her own career. “I go to auditions, I study hard,” the model and “Low Key in Love” singer said. “I do my thing.”
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But being the daughter of the most famous man on earth did have its perks. “My dad was really good about making sure we were cultured, making sure we were educated,” she noted about the family’s world travels, “and not just showing us the glitz and glam, like hotel hopping, five-star places.”
To keep the kids grounded, she added, “We saw everything. We saw Third World countries. We saw every part of the spectrum.”
And of course, the two bonded over their shared love of music. “He loved classical music and jazz and hip-hop and R&B and obviously the Motown stuff,” Paris recalled. “So we grew up around all of that, and I feel like all of that somehow influences my stuff.”
