That posthumously-released Michael Jackson album you’ve been enjoying? Well, not all the songs are sung by Michael Jackson.
That’s the big courtroom reveal this week, as Sony fessed up to the fact that three tracks — “Breaking News,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and the 50 Cent collaboration “Monster” — were actually sung by an MJ impersonator named Jason Malachi.
Related: Legendary producer Quincy Jones just spilled some major Michael Jackson tea
In 2010, the Jackson family first brought attention to the strange possibility that Michael’s voice was absent on some tracks on the album Michael, which was billed as a collection of unreleased songs from the late musician’s archive.
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An MJ superfan named Vera Serova felt the fam was onto something; in 2014 she filed a class-action lawsuit against the album’s producers, alleging fraud.
Previously, Sony had hinted that the tracks might be fake but insisted that since the potential fraud was perpetrated on the part of producers and not the label, Sony shouldn’t be responsible.
Related: Her boyfriend looks exactly like Michael Jackson and everybody can’t even
Sony also claimed this week that it should have the right to continue advertising the album as Jackson’s even if he isn’t featured on all the tracks.
The court is expected to rule on the label’s culpability in the next 90 days.
Here are the three fakes:
QueerTruth
This is click bait and NOT a “bizarre conspiracy theory”?
“bizarre” – very strange or unusual, especially so as to cause interest or amusement.
“conspiracy” – a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.
EZinHTown
I agree.
nmharleyrider
who cares?
Evji108
Do you go on all the articles that you don’t care about and then post “who cares?” You could fill a lot of time doing that. But it’s your time and your life so get on with it, there’s a lot more that you don’t care about that we are unaware of. What else do you not care about? I’m curious.
Terrycloth
So the music buying public may question each release now ? Record company isnt too bright. Michael always recorded more songs than were needed for an album .he would whittle the list down to the best…why not pick from the leftover tracks where it’s actually Michael…hard to believe there was a shortage of material so they did a milli Vanilli on his record
Bob LaBlah
Wow! I guess we’ll all sleep better tonight knowing this. I swear I never heard of any of those songs and couldn’t care less whether its Michael or not. MJ is now sounding like the late Rev. Ike who asked that “in lieu of flowers please send donations to the foundation”. I kid you not, that just what the ol’ reverend’s last request was.
Nick Dumana
Michael who?
OzJosh
An easy scam to pull off when the singer’s performance is 90% affectation.
Jack Meoff
What does this have to do with the ‘queer agenda’?
nm4047
can’t say I can ever recall a time that Jackson affiliated with the gay community. This is pure market manipulation (if there’s still a market for his material) not conspiratorial rubbish.
LilMesican
It seems like such a thriller, things are not black or white, so long as you count your A, B, C’s & 1, 2, 3’s, and it’s not that bad. I’m glad they figured out that they know it’s Jason Malachi and not Ben or Billie Jean.
Being a celebrity is not a moonwalk, I’m sure if he were alive he’d scream!
David Myers
LOL! Thanks for that, it was fun.
nitejonboy
I was expecting some bizarre story, not a fake singer story, fake news!!
Thad
In other news, Sony is rereleasing the entire Milli Vanilli catalog.
Terrycloth
@ Thad who who would want a bunch of blank cds or just a cd of instrumentals..milli or vanilli never sang a note on those records !
www.tinyurl.com/ybvz7m5d
Jackson was cool