Michael Jackson‘s first new single, “Breaking News,” should hit his Sony website tonight at midnight. That’s, of course, www.michaeljackson.com.
I am told that Sony will likely release another single, “Hold My Hand,” featuring Akon, next Sunday, in the same way.
The track has been available for some time on YouTube. But it’s likely that the newer version will have more of Michael’s singing mixed in front instead of as background.
(Video after jump)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i64brIV7UWM
This should push interest in the “Michael” album, due on December 14th. So far, advance orders put it at number 34 on amazon.com. But I’ll bet once the single is streaming on the website, pre-sales will put the album higher on the amazon.com chart.
As for that fake new single that jacksonsecretvault.com is featuring on TMZ–the “Destiny” remix called “Opis None”–I think it does show what I said from the very beginning: there aren’t that many unreleased Jackson tracks. I said this right after Michael died. If the Cascio tracks hadn’t been recorded in 2007 and discovered–by this column exclusively, last spring–-there would be many fewer, in fact.
It looks like Akon wrote “Hold My Hand” with Claude Kelly, who wrote the songs for the new Cher-Christina Aguilera movie, “Burlesque.” And there’s an irony since Michael already is holding hands with the Beatles in their catalog with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I like the song, it’s catchy. It reminds me a little of Whitney Houston/Wyclef Jean’s “My Love Is Your Love.”