PopSpiracy has come out of the shadows to announce that the "new" Michael Jackson track "Breaking News" is indeed fake.
Sony has defended the song, saying they had "experts" confirm its authenticity. Sony is a corporation (one that, mind you, had a terrible relationship with Michael Jackson) and can thus get anyone to say the track is authentic to protect their investment.
Upon listening to the track tonight, there is no doubt. As a longtime listener of 20+ years, holder of one of the largest footage collections in the country of Michael Jackson performances from the start of his career to the end, and owning all the Jackson albums, B-sides, and unreleased tracks currently available, I can guarantee this is not (entirely) Michael.
Sony has sampled the classic signature MJ sounds, (i.e. "Aaaoow", "Heehee", etc) which are authentic and a few of the sung lyrics are Michael Jackson. The vast majority of the lyrics are done by another singer, and the voice transposed over Michael Jackson's is not his. It's as though the samples and overlay serve to "trick" the audience into believing it is his voice.
I can only conjecture, but given that he did sing a few of the lyrics, perhaps this was a song he went into the studio and begun but left mostly unfinished so in a rush to get out a quick album and make some cash, Sony hired someone to fill in the large missing gaps.
Truly bizarre, indeed. I am glad I listened to this first, I will definitely not be purchasing this album or supporting such behavior and encourage others to do the same.
Take it from Michael's mother, LaToya, and children - they know his voice far more than an unnamed "expert".
Bad blood between Sony and Michael Jackson is nothing new, Michael referred to Sony records and it's then-president Tommy Motolla as "the devil" as they engaged in vindictive behavior when he refused to sell them his stake of the Sony ATV Beatles catalog. They failed to promote his "Invincible" album (which sold over 7 million copies regardless on zero promotion) and did not allow the "You Rock My World" video to be completed to his satisfaction nor would they release other videos for the album, which was to be his last.
I don't doubt that they probably have their hands on a few legit tracks, but this one is certainly not one of them and if it's any indication of what fans can expect, that's not saying much - I'm sure this won't be the only deceptive track.
The Jackson family itself holds much of Michael's unreleased music and his children have hundreds of songs at their disposal should they ever decide to release them to the public one day. Until then - steer clear.
Another odd tidbit - the symbol representing the Artist Formerly Known As Prince appeared on the album cover (above) in a bubble in a montage of images from Michael's career. Unsurprisingly, it has been removed (most likely by the request of the lawsuit-happy Purple One) , yet Prince had no connection to Michael Jackson's career nor did they get along, making the symbol's appearance (and speedy disappearance) inexplicable.
UPDATE: A second leaked track, "Keep Your Head Up" has just been released - and is NOT Michael Jackson's voice.
UPDATE: Just-released "Hold My Hand" track w/ Akon is an authentic song, as is "Much Too Soon".
As expected, the album is partially authentic and partially fraud.
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