A year after the death of Michael Jackson, which occurred on June 25, 2009, the logical step came: an album with posthumous songs. An unreleased material eagerly guarded by fans and simply titled Michaeledited by Sony Music.
This album had a great impact but also generated controversy: the artist’s followers insisted that there were three songs that were not really sung by the American. The issues in question were Breaking News, Monster y Keep Your Head Upthe same ones that have now been removed from various streaming platforms precisely due to the request of their followers and some relatives.
According to the Stereogum portal, Jackson recorded those songs with Edward Cascio and James Porte in 2007. However, fans believe that the voice belongs to singer Jason Malachi and even Jackson’s family showed some doubts about the authenticity of those tracks through a statement. What’s more, Malachi himself is said to have admitted to being the singer in a Facebook post that was later deleted and labeled “false.”
Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, also claimed in 2010 that some of the songs on the album Michael they are false”. His sister LaToya Jackson, for her part, said, “It doesn’t sound like him.”
Jackson’s nephew, Taryll Jackson, tweeted around the time: “The way they built these songs is very sneaky and devious. I know my uncle’s voice and something is very wrong when you have your closest family saying it’s not him.
Today Sony removed these songs from platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. A statement explained: “The removal of these songs has nothing to do with their authenticity. The Trustees and Sony believe that the continuing conversation about tracks distracts the Michael Jackson fan community and listeners from what really deserves attention: Michael’s deep and legendary catalog.”