Did He Or Didn't He? Furor Erupts Over Allegations Of 'Fake' Michael Jackson Vocals On Posthumous Album

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SONY's legal representation had to knock down reports that the music group admitted in court that MICHAEL JACKSON didn't actually sing on three songs from one of his posthumous albums, VARIETY reports. The tracks in question are “Breaking News,” “Monster” and “Keep Your Head Up,” which are found on “Michael,” the 2010 MICHAEL JACKSON album released posthumously by EPIC RECORDS.

“No one has conceded that MICHAEL JACKSON did not sing on the songs,” said ZIA MODABBER of KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN LLP, who represents both SONY MUSIC and the JACKSON estate. “The hearing TUESDAY was about whether the First Amendment protects SONY MUSIC and the Estate and there has been no ruling on the issue of whose voice is on the recordings.”

The whole brouhaha began with a 2014 lawsuit that raised the question of whether people who purchased the album or songs “are entitled to a refund, in whole or in part, of the purchase price of the album ‘Michael’ and/or the songs.” This came after an American singer named JASON MALACHI purportedly admitted to singing on those three songs in a 2011 FACEBOOK post, according to TMZ, only to be refuted by his manager, who asserted that the post was faked.

The album's liner notes state in part, “This album contains 9 previously unreleased vocal tracks performed by MICHAEL JACKSON. These tracks were recently completed using music from the original vocal tracks and music created by the credited producers.”

SONY and the JACKSON estate sought to throw the lawsuit out, but the trial court judge denied the motion, prompting SONY to appeal, which was heard TUESDAY. Whether or not the vocals are indeed JACKSON’s was not the purpose of the hearing, but rather whether the album’s liner notes are protected by the First Amendment.

Neverthless, some individuals who attended the hearing heard an attorney for JACKSON’s estate say something along the lines of “even if the vocals weren’t JACKSON’s,” and surmised that the attorney's speculation was an admission that JACKSON's vocals were faked. 

And thus began #FakeMJGate"...

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