14 DAY TRIAL // Coming to show that there’s never smoke without a fire and that, sometimes, even the most unlikely report contains a grain of truth, the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music has just confirmed that a new Michael Jackson single will premiere on radio on October 12. The song, called “This Is It,” will be included on the album that is released simultaneously with the “This Is It” docu-film and will serve the purpose of promoting the multiple releases taking place in October, Reuters informs.
Reports of a new Michael Jackson track first began to emerge after his sudden death in June this year. Some sources even said that he had up to 100 completed tracks on personal hard drives, drives that later presumably changed hands when they were removed from Michael’s residence by sister LaToya. Last week, the British tabloids were running a story saying insiders knew a new song was being prepared for release, a track Michael had recorded shortly before dying for the “This Is It” London series of shows.
“A new Michael Jackson single called ‘This Is It; will hit the airwaves on October 12, two weeks before it is available as part of a two-disc album released by the late pop star’s record label. Sony Music’s Columbia/Epic Label Group said it would release the ‘This Is It’ album internationally on October 26 and in North America on October 27, to coincide with the simultaneous global release of the Jackson movie of the same name on October 28.” Reuters says.
Contrary to earlier reports, the single will not go on sale separately, but will only be available on the disc once it’s out. Until then, fans will be able to hear it only on radio, a spokesperson for the record label says for the aforementioned news agency. “This song only defines, once again, what the world already knows – that Michael is one of God’s greatest gifts.” John McClain, co-producer of the album and an executor of Jackson’s estate, says for Reuters.
The “This Is It” album, a two-disc material, will include some of Michael’s greatest hits, but also two distinct versions of the new single, “This Is It,” one of which has backing vocals from the Jackson brothers. Other surprises to be featured on the album are, according to the same statement, unreleased versions of some “classic tracks” and a “spoken word poem,” “Planet Earth,” that has never been made public.