"MICHAEL" Press Release & Information

Friday, November 5
MUCH ANTICIPATED NEW ALBUM FROM THE KING OF POP
MICHAEL
TO BE RELEASED DECEMBER 14

Exclusive Teaser and Song to be Unveiled on MichaelJackson.com

New York, NY – The much anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson entitled MICHAEL will be released on December 14 by Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson. Tomorrow, an exclusive teaser for the project will appear on www.michaeljackson.com; on Monday, November 8th the world premiere of “Breaking News,” a full track from the album, will stream on the site for one week only.

The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friend’s home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators. Now, through the unique stories that will be told about the songs that comprise MICHAEL, fans will get mind-blowing insight into how this artist worked and a chance to hear the songs he most recently created along with tracks that Michael had a desire to bring to fruition.

“Breaking News,” a never heard before song by Michael that appears on the new album was recorded in New Jersey in 2007 and recently brought to completion. Fans can begin pre-ordering the album on www.michaeljackson.com in the next 24 hours.

The attached image of the album cover of MICHAEL was created by painter Kadir Nelson in 2009. In the oil painting, Kadir – who is known for story telling through his art – takes us on a journey through some key moments and important people in Michael Jackson’s life.

Stay tuned for the worldwide launch of the official first single from MICHAEL later this month.

www.michaeljackson.com

OFFICIAL MICHAEL JACKSON SINGLE
"HOLD MY HAND"
TO BE RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 15th
MICHAEL Album Track Listing Unveiled

New York, NY - The first official single from the forthcoming Michael Jackson album MICHAEL will be released globally on Monday, November 15th at 12:01am EST. The song entitled “Hold My Hand” will be unveiled on www.michaeljackson.com and for sale digitally thereafter.

“Hold My Hand”, a duet with Akon, is a song they recorded in 2007. A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that “Hold My Hand” be the first single on his next project. However, in its unfinished state, the song leaked out in 2008. Akon recently completed the new and final production of “Hold My Hand.”

Akon comments, “The world was not ready to hear ‘Hold My Hand’ when it leaked a couple years ago. We were devastated about it. But its time has definitely come; now in its final state, it has become an incredible, beautiful, anthemic song. I’m so proud to have had the chance to work with Michael, one of my all time idols.”

On December 14th, Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will release the much-anticipated new album MICHAEL. The album contains ten tracks, produced by an esteemed group of producers along with Michael Jackson. While primarily focused on songs that Michael worked on recently, there are also earlier compelling tracks.

MICHAEL is the first release in nine years of new material by one of music’s most beloved icons whose artistry continues to touch new generations of fans. The album marks another release under the new agreement between the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music announced in March that continues the label’s 35-year relationship with Michael and his music. During that time, Michael sold hundreds of millions of records, had 13 #1 singles and released the pop culture phenomenon “Thriller,” which remains music’s all-time bestselling album with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide.

MICHAEL ALBUM TRACKLISTING:

1. Hold My Hand (Duet with Akon)
2. Hollywood Tonight
3. Keep Your Head Up
4. (I Like) The Way You Love Me
5. Monster (Featuring 50 Cent)
6. Best Of Joy
7. Breaking News
8. (I Can’t Make It) Another Day (Featuring Lenny Kravitz)
9. Behind The Mask
10. Much Too Soon

www.michaeljackson.com

NEW MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO
"HOLD MY HAND (DUET WITH AKON)"
TO PREMIERE THIS WEEK

VIDEO IS DIRECTED BY MARK PELLINGTON

The world has heard the new Michael Jackson single “Hold My Hand” (Duet with Akon) and fans will soon be able to see its beauty thanks to acclaimed film director Mark Pellington. A 30-second sneak peak is available now on www.MichaelJackson.com; the premiere of the full video will take place at 12:01am EST on Thursday, December 9th. Fans can view the video on MichaelJackson.com, VEVO.com, and Youtube.com.

The “Hold My Hand” video will premiere on BET at 9:30pm on Thursday as part of a 30-minute Michael Jackson special. The video will also be aired on MTV, VH1 and FUSE.

Pellington shot “Hold My Hand” in California with a diverse array of real Michael Jackson fans as its cast. In the video, Pellington tells the story of the song through a collage of images of both Michael and Akon as well as people representing Michael’s legacy, shining a light on the aura left behind by King of Pop. As he describes, “The video is a tribute to all that Michael stands for -- life, in all its permutations...love, and its power.... A video of memory, healing and joy.”

Pellington’s clip accomplishes exactly what fans love about Michael Jackson– simple but powerful messages such as that in the song’s opening line “This life don’t last forever.”

“Hold My Hand” (Duet with Akon) is the first single from MICHAEL, which will be released December 14, 2010.