Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Official Statement From the Estate of Michael Jackson

Hello:

As with so many times before, Michael Jackson’s artistry and genius is again at center stage.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of promotion for Michael’s new album, XSCAPE – starting with the premiere of the album’s first single “Love Never Felt So Good” on the iHeart Music Awards, and continuing to the performance on the Billboard Awards Sunday night.  These performances were the highlights of both shows and netted Michael the #1 album on the planet, the #1 spot on iTunes and Spotify and the #1 single/video on iTunes!

Michael’s music is also part of two worldwide advertising campaigns - Sony Mobile using “Slave To The Rhythm” and Jeep using “Love Never Felt So Good.”  This is an incredible testament to the King of Pop!  Our goal is to reach as many people as possible and to expand the community to include as many new fans as possible.  Given all that has happened in these last few weeks, that goal has been accomplished.  Everyone around the world is talking about Michael’s music and his achievements!

Our other goal is to use new and innovative ways to create entertainment on a grand scale that allows the world to experience Michael’s magic – something that reflects Michael’s love of spectacle and grandeur and his own desire to be a step ahead of others.  The best entertainment is that which evokes “suspended disbelief”; it’s about entertainment, not reality.  When David Copperfield makes an airplane disappear, the illusion is no less compelling because it is not real.  No one will ever replace Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.  And certainly no one can dance like the greatest entertainer who ever lived – not even an illusion.  Michael’s music and spirit are immortal, and that has been proven again these last few weeks.  In bringing Michael’s spirit to the stage, the entire world was reminded of Michael’s genius as a singer, a dancer, and an innovator who pushed the envelope.

We want to thank the MJ fan community for their continued support for Michael and wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the things that we are seeing and reading.  The incredible visibility over the last few weeks as the world has celebrated the release of XSCAPE is amazing.  We hope the fans are as thrilled as we are to see all of this promotion call attention to Michael’s music.  Here are some of the highlights of the reaction to the Billboard performance.  You will soon see the reaction to the first week sales of XSCAPE.

Jackie Jackson said "It was like he was right here with us. I got teary eyed to see my brother up there. I thought he was there for real." Ludacris chimed in: "It sent chills down my spine." Watch here: http://gma.yahoo.com/video/michael-jackson-takes-center-stage-123231754.html

 This was the biggest audience that the Billboard Music Awards has enjoyed in 13 years. ABC, the network that carried the broadcast, won the night for most viewers.
The highest viewership occurred between 9-10 p.m. - when Michael's segment occurred.http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/bbma-2014/6092128/tv-ratings-billboard-music-awards-abc?utm_source=twitter 

German report describes the illusion like a "mirror of the real thing:" http://www.rtl.de/cms/news/rtl-aktuell.html  

Robin Roberts of Good Morning America Tweeted:
Diddy loved the experience:

Tyler from Florida Georgia Line was impressed with the performance:

Fox News says the performance "Stole The Show:"
Robin Leach "dares" you to tell him it didn't look real:

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and host of Shark Tank posted on Instagram "He's BAAAACK":


Floyd Maywether dug it:
...and from Fans:
YouTube star Trevor Moran:







And all of this is in addition to the fact that Xscape is #1 in 50 countries; "Slave To The Rhythm" shot from #311 to #39 on the iTunes charts, and the album is currently #1 worldwide on Spotify as well. 

Here is just a small taste of the worldwide press:
India gives Xscape The Bombay Flip Project Treatment: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-jacksons-love-never-felt-705543

Belgium: http://www.lalibre.be/culture/musique/michael-jackson-eternel-revenant-536ce5f03570102383c31d66  

http://nl.ptg.be/statics/michael_jackson_Xscape 

http://www.skynet.be/muziek/nieuws/artikel/44141/win-xscape-van-michael-jackson-een-sony-xperia-m2-of-een-authentieke-platinum-award 

http://focus.levif.be/culture/musique/michael-jackson-presque-ressuscite-a-la-gare-bruxelles-midi/article-normal-14169.html  

http://www.rtbf.be/classic21/article_un-labyrinthe-surprise-a-bruxelles?id=8264391 

http://blog.lesoir.be/frontstage/2014/05/09/remportez-votre-exemplaire-de-xscape-le-nouveau-michael-jackson/

http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/3844/Belgique/video/detail/1881845/Xscape-fait-revivre-le-roi-de-la-pop.dhtml  


http://www.cinetelerevue.be/fr/rencontrez-michael-jackson-le-10-mai-a-bruxelles.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=27676 


The press was delighted with Usher's performance to "Love Never Felt So Good" at the iHeartMusic Awards at the beginning of the month:
The Jeep Commercial featuring "Love Never Felt So Good" is set to be the song of the summer: 
“This is a unique collaboration with Epic Records and L.A. Reid, and the USA Basketball Team — together we are creating a new definition of summer,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer, Chrysler Group LLC.  “‘Love Never Felt So Good’ makes you want to dance, to move, to play, to get up off the couch...” - See more at: http://madamenoire.com/429656/jeeps-jackson-michael-jacksons-new-music-1-50-countries-new-car-campaign/#sthash.NdO9cm7D.dpuf

"Michael Jackson Unreleased Song in Jeep Ads": http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/08/autos/michael-jackson-jeep/

SiriusXM debuted an all-Michael Jackson channel: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140512-910108.html

And of course, you are all familiar with the worldwide campaign with Sony Mobile that launched promotions for the album:
And, then there have been, of course, the incredible events produced by you, the fan clubs. Those celebrations have been invaluable, and we love seeing reports, photos, videos, and updates from those activities. 

Let's continue to celebrate Michael's music.

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate™