Lena Horne
(June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an African American Award–winning jazz and pop music singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist.
Janet describes Lena Horne as a profound inspiration, for entertainers of several generations as well as herself.
Upon Horne's death, Janet stated "she brought much joy into everyone's lives, even the younger generations, younger than myself. She was such a great talent. She opened up such doors for artists like myself."
Joni Mitchell
(November 7, 1943) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and painter.
Janet has declared herself "a very big Joni Mitchell fan", explaining "as a kid I was drawn to Joni Mitchell records. Joni's songs spoke to me in an intimate, personal way." This led to Janet asking Mitchell to contribute vocals to "Got 'til It's Gone", using a sample from the 1970 song "Big Yellow Taxi". Describing the situation, Janet recalled "I told her I'd like to send her a tape before she made a decision. She listened to it, and called back a few days later and said she absolutely loved it and would be honoured if we did, so I was very excited."