Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Three contested Michael Jackson songs removed from streaming services

Three contested Michael Jackson songs removed from streaming services

Three Michael Jackson songs have been removed from streaming services, following persistent claims they feature faked vocals.

Monster, Keep Your Head Up and Breaking News all featured on the posthumous 2010 compilation album Michael.

They have since been the subject of a court case brought by a fan, who claims the vocals are by a session singer.

Sony Music and Jackson's estate said their removal from streaming sites had nothing to do with their authenticity.

In a statement, they described the action as "the simplest and best way to move beyond the conversation associated with these tracks once and for all".

The continued: "The focus remains where it belongs - on the exciting new and existing projects celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy", including the Broadway musical MJ and a recently-announced biopic.

"The album's remaining tracks remain available," the statement concluded. "Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks - it is just time to move beyond the distraction surrounding them."

Released in 2010, Michael was the first album of outtakes and unreleased music to emerge after Jackson's death from an overdose of propofol in 2009.

Even before it hit the shops, the star's family were raising doubts over whether he had performed on all of the songs.

"I tried so hard to prevent this craziness, but they wouldn't listen," Jackson's nephew Taryll tweeted. "It doesn't sound like him," added Jackson's sister La Toya.

Sony responded with a statement saying it had "complete confidence in the results of our extensive research, as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael, that the vocals… are his own."


When it was released, the back cover of the Michael album said: "This album contains nine 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."

However, after hearing the music, fans were suspicious about three songs, in particular.

The official story is that Jackson wrote and recorded them with the production team Edward Cascio and James Porte in 2007. Yet rumours persisted that the vocals were provided by an American singer called Jason Malachi, who apparently took credit for them in a 2011 Facebook post. (His manager later denied this, claiming the post was faked.)


Court action


Then, in 2014, Jackson fan Vera Serova filed a class-action lawsuit against Cascio, Porte, Sony Music, Jackson estate co-executor John Branca, MJJ Productions (the estate's music arm) and Angelikson Productions (Cascio's production company).

She accused them all of selling her and others a product that had been misrepresented. Separately, she accused Porte, Cascio and Angelikson of conducting an "elaborate artistic fraud" when they sold their tracks to Jackson's estate for millions of dollars.

Jackson's estate and Sony denied the allegations, and an appeals court ultimately ruled in their favour, removing them from the lawsuit.

"Because [they] lacked actual knowledge of the identity of the lead singer on [Breaking News, Monster and Keep Your Head Up], they could only draw a conclusion about that issue from their own research and the available evidence," court documents read.

In that light, judges concluded, any claims made on the album cover or in promotional materials "amounted to a statement of opinion rather than fact".

A second posthumous album, Xscape, was released in 2014. Since then, the star's estate have focused on his classic albums


Serova's case against Angelikson Productions, Cascio and Porte is ongoing. She has also petitioned California's Supreme Court to revive the lawsuit against Sony, while the company has asked for the earlier ruling to be upheld.

None of the legal action has, to date, established the origin of the contested songs.

Fans can no longer judge for themselves, as they have disappeared from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other streaming platforms - although unofficial uploads can still be found.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×