Celebrity Parents Janet Jackson Is in a 'Great Space' in Life Thanks to Son Eissa: 'I've Slowed Down a Great Deal' Janet Jackson welcomed her baby boy in January 2017 By Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini Associate Editor, Human Interest - PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 23, 2019 03:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Janet Jackson has found a new sense of purpose since welcoming son Eissa. Ahead of her debut performance at the Glastonbury Festival this year, the 53-year-old pop icon opened up about how motherhood has impacted her life — and her career. “I’m in a great space,” she told The Sunday Times. “I have a beautiful son.” The “Rhythm Nation” singer went on to note that since becoming a mother, her friends had given her a powerful new nickname. “My friends call me Superwoman,” she shared. “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.” Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Parents newsletter. Janet Jackson Thanks Son, 2, at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for Showing Her the Meaning of ‘Real’ Love Courtesy Janet Jackson Jackson, who kicked off her Las Vegas residency earlier this year, went on to share that while she’s continuing to perform she’s “slowed down a great deal” so she can spend more time with her 2-year-old son. “I’ve slowed down a great deal. I don’t rehearse as many hours as I used to because of being with my baby. My days have been cut in half so I can spend that time with him,” she explained. And even when she is working, Jackson still gets to be around her son, whom she welcomed in 2017 with ex Wissam Al Mana. “He comes to the rehearsals. He sings along. He loves being around the kids,” she added. RELATED VIDEO: Janet Jackson Is ‘Super Excited’ About Expecting Her First Child at 50 Earlier this year, Jackson also gave her son a sweet shout-out when she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I just want to thank my baby, my beautiful son,” Jackson told the crowd in March. “He wakes me up every single morning singing his own melodies,” she added. “I want you to know that you are my heart, you are my life, and you have shown me the meaning of real, unconditional love. Mama loves you, Eissa.” Janet Jackson. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Janet Jackson’s Son Eissa: The Meaning Behind His Name During an interview with Billboard last year, Jackson added that until she became a mother, she never knew just how much love she truly had to give. “[He] has shown me that love, no matter how deeply you believe you have experienced that emotion, can always go deeper. Love is limitless,” she explained. “And for someone like me, raised in show business where self-concern is always a priority, how fortunate I am now to be concerned, first and foremost, with the welfare of someone else,” she added.