Michael
- Producers
- Michael Jackson, Akon, will.i.am
- Label
- Epic Records
- Runtime
- 42:48 · 10 tracks
- Read full description ↓
Tracklist
- 01 Hold My Hand Single
- 02 Hollywood Tonight Single
- 03 (I Like) The Way You Love Me
- 04 Best of Joy
- 05 (I Can't Make It) Another Day
- 06 Behind the Mask Single
- 07 Much Too Soon
Singles
Michael is the first posthumous album by Michael Jackson, released on 10 December 2010 by Epic Records, 18 months after his death. The album was compiled by Sony from a vault of unreleased recordings spanning Jackson’s solo career, with new production additions from Akon, Lenny Kravitz, Teddy Riley and Theron “Neff U” Feemster.
Three of the ten tracks (“Breaking News”, “Keep Your Head Up” and “Monster”) became immediately controversial. Jackson family members publicly disputed that Jackson’s vocals were authentic, claiming the tracks featured a soundalike singer named Jason Malachi. Sony and the estate stood by the recordings; the dispute eventually led to a 2018 lawsuit in which Sony admitted the tracks may not be authentic, though no recall was issued.
Despite the controversy, Michael debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached #1 in 14 countries. The album shifted approximately 3 million copies worldwide. The duet “Hold My Hand” with Akon, originally recorded in 2008, became the lead single and reached the top 10 in 11 countries. “Hollywood Tonight” and “Behind the Mask” (a Yellow Magic Orchestra cover originally recorded for Thriller) were also released as singles.
| Country | Chart | Peak | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Billboard 200 | #3 | |
| United Kingdom | UK Albums Chart | #4 | |
| Australia | ARIA | #1 | |
| France | SNEP | #1 | |
| Germany | Media Control | #2 | |
| Italy | FIMI | #1 | |
| Switzerland | Schweizer | #1 |
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A patchy but at-times rewarding raid on the vaults. "Hollywood Tonight" and "Behind the Mask" are real Jackson keepers; the disputed tracks are a different story.
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Even at its most uneven, Michael is a reminder of what Jackson at half-speed could still summon. The good half justifies the release; the contested half is harder to defend.
| Country | Body | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | RIAA | Gold | 1 March 2011 |
| United Kingdom | BPI | Gold | |
| France | SNEP | Platinum |
Promo / Press (3)
Album Shoot (1)
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Michael (posthumous album) released
First posthumous studio album. Three Cascio tracks later removed.
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“Hollywood Tonight” released as single
"Hollywood Tonight" released as a single from Michael.
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Cascio tracks removed from streaming
Sony Music and the MJ Estate quietly remove the three Cascio tracks ("Breaking News", "Monster", "Keep Your Head Up") from streaming platforms following years of disputes about their authenticity.
4 people credited across this album.
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Michael Jackson Lead Vocals · Producer7 tracks -
Bruce Swedien Engineer6 tracks -
Akon Lead Vocals · Producer · Songwriter1 track -
will.i.am Co-Producer1 track
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Three tracks ("Breaking News", "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster") were publicly disputed by Jackson family members as containing soundalike vocals rather than Michael's.
Wikipedia -
In a 2018 court filing, Sony admitted that the three contested tracks "may not feature Michael's lead vocals" but did not recall the album.
Hollywood Reporter -
"Behind the Mask" was originally a Yellow Magic Orchestra song that Jackson recorded as a Thriller-era outtake. The version on Michael was completed posthumously by John McClain.
Wikipedia -
The cover painting "An Archangel's Thunderbird" was commissioned from Kadir Nelson and depicts Jackson surrounded by symbolic imagery from his career.
Wikipedia -
In 2022 the three "Cascio tracks" — "Breaking News", "Monster" and "Keep Your Head Up" — were quietly removed from streaming platforms following a long-running fraud lawsuit. Producer Teddy Riley publicly confirmed the lead vocals are not Michael Jackson, and forensic analysis supported the claim. Only the seven legitimate tracks remain in the official catalogue.
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