The flurry of articles earlier this week claiming Sony Music had conceded to the use of an impersonator on multiple Michael Jackson tracks aren't accurate, Sony said Friday.
Zia Modabber, the attorney representing Sony and the Michael Jackson estate, clarified in a statement to Variety that there has not yet been a ruling on the claims. "No one has conceded that Michael Jackson did not sing on the songs," Modabber said. "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 songs in question—including "Keep Your Head Up," embedded above—come from the posthumous 2010 album Michael and are at the center of a 2014 class-action suit against Sony Music and others. Previously, Sony said they have "complete confidence" in the accounts of studio personnel who they say backed up the authenticity of the vocal tracks. A prominent fan theory, however, asserts that singer Jason Malachi provided the vocals to the three songs.
So far, only two posthumous studio albums from the King of Pop have been released through Sony's Epic label. The most recent was Xscape, the RIAA gold-certified 2014 album containing lead single "Love Never Felt So Good." As of June 2018, the Jackson estate and Columbia Live Stage are said to be developing a new Broadway musical based on the icon's life. Director Christopher Wheeldon and playwright Lynn Nottage are helming the project, which is currently set for a 2020 debut.
