Janet Jackson back on tour after seven years

NEW YORK (AP) — Though going out on tour means connecting with fans, it can also mean long hours, high stress, and sleepless nights. Janet Jackson says she's looking forward to all of it.

"I love all of that, all of that pressure, I really do," Jackson told The Associated Press on Monday as she gears up for a North American tour to kick off in September.

The tour, which opens in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 10 and includes dates in New York and Washington, is Jackson's first in seven years. But the singer, who just turned 42 last week, said she hadn't planned on waiting for so long.

"I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," said Jackson, referring to the 2006 CD "20 Y.O." But the singer said her record label wanted her to wait for her latest CD, "Discipline."

"We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs," she said. "I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."

Jackson's shows have always been heavy on choreography and glitzy sets. But she promised fans some surprises this time around.

"It will definitely be a big production but it will definitely also be something that I've never done before, that people have never seen from me before," she said.