Jackson said "She's another way to express and expose a deeper part of me." "Damita Jo" is "a lot harsher, and quick to put you in your place. She doesn't sit and ponder about stuff, where I'll go, 'Should I or shouldn't I?' She's tougher than I am. Then there's Strawberry. She's the most sexual of them all, the wildest." Blender magazine commented the latter identity represents "a time when she doesn't need to be the polite, professional Janet, and can turn into raw, unrestrained Strawberry." Jackson added "It's not an everyday indulgence. Not even every week. But every now and then I like playing around in that mode." Jackson said the characters "absolutely" live inside of her, exclaiming "it feels wonderful" to release them. The concept is further explored in "Looking for Love", in which Jackson says every individual is composed of "many people rolled into one", unified by a similar motive of seeking love, companionship, or identity. Recording and production For Damita Jo, Jackson worked with producers such as Télépopmusik, Dallas Austin, BAG & Arnthor, Kanye West, Scott Storch, and Babyface. The record saw Jackson liberated from recording exclusively with Jam & Lewis; which she had attempted upon recording with Rockwilder and The Neptunes for All for You. Jackson composed and co-produced all of the album's songs with the exception of two; writing with Cathy Dennis, Shelly Poole, INOJ, and then-upcoming artists Sean Garrett and John Legend. The album's early direction focused primarily on house music and electroclash. Planned collaborations with the Basement Jaxx, The DFA, and Richard X were announced, although the latter two did not come to fruition. Jimmy Jam stated, "It's kind of all over the place. We have some kind of up tempo dance house things, we have some funky down tempo things, a couple of real sensual ballads." Jon Platt, then-vice president of Virgin Records, commented, "The second half of the album was very easy once me and Janet got to know each other, and found the songs that really were true to her and that she can sing with conviction." An early report stated Jackson desired the record to be "edgy and experimental". Additional sessions with The Neptunes, Rich Harrison, Guy Chambers, Dre & Vidal, and Channel 7 took place, but were not included on the final release. The album took eighteen months to complete, the longest Jackson had spent recording an