A few songs from Michael Jackson’s posthumous album “Michael” have been pulled out from streaming services due to claims from some fans that the King of Pop never sang them.
Jackson’s estate and Sony Music withdrew three tracks from Michael Jackson’s posthumous album in 2010 – “Breaking News,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and “Monster”. Fans claimed that the King of Pop never sang the songs and that the vocals used for them belonged to Italian-American R&B artist Jason Malachi.
The Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Music decided to remove the songs as “the simplest and best way to move beyond the conversation associated with these tracks once and for all,” the parties said in a joint statement, though they claim that taking down the tracks had nothing to do with the fake vocals controversy. “The focus remains where it belongs — on the exciting new and existing projects celebrating Michael Jackson’s legacy… Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks — it is just time to move beyond the distraction surrounding them.”
The controversy began in 2014 when a fan sued Jackson’s estate and Sony, claiming that the three songs don’t feature the vocals of the King of Pop. The allegations were contested by Jackson’s estate and Sony, and appeals court judges eventually decided in their favor, concluding that the estate and Sony didn’t know for certain whether Jackson sang the songs. Thus, they weren’t accountable.
Michael Jackson, one of the most famous performers of all time, was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is well-known as the “King of Pop”, and is regarded as one of the most significant figures in pop culture in the 20th century. In June 2009, Jackson died from cardiac arrest at the age of 50. “Michael” was the first of his albums to be posthumously released back in 2010, followed by the album “Xscape” in 2014.
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