NEW YORK: It can’t be easy to be the kid sister of the King of Pop, but Janet Jackson pulled it off in the 1980s as she became a music legend in her own right.

On her first studio album since Michael Jackson died in 2009, Janet channels him more than ever before, with her voice at times eerily reminiscent of her brother’s.

“Unbreakable” — her 11th studio album, which came out worldwide on Friday — opens with a funky R&B title track that could easily be mistaken for posthumous Michael Jackson, with Janet singing in the short gasping-for-breath “hiccups” so identified with her brother and in a range that brings to mind his falsetto.

The opening track gradually quiets down to give the atmosphere of a cafe — a conversational theme Janet pursued on social media to promote the album — as she says: “Hello, it’s been awhile. Lots to talk about. I’m glad you’re still here.”

Indeed, Janet Jackson has plenty to talk about since her last album in 2008. Her brother’s sudden death led her to withdraw from the spotlight to grieve but she re-emerged in 2011 with an 80-date tour to promote a greatest hits collection.

In 2012, she quietly married Qatari tycoon Wissam Al-Mana and again shunned the limelight until earlier this year when she announced “Unbreakable,” for which she has started a 92-date arena tour of North America and Japan.

But “Unbreakable” is more than a tribute to her late brother, as the 49-year-old Jackson goes retro with the sound that first defined her rather than dabbling in the latest trends.