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Leaked Michael Jackson track is an old demo, not the new single from 'Xscape'

Leaked Michael Jackson track is an old demo, not the new single from 'Xscape'

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A single believed to be a leaked track from Michael Jackson's upcoming, posthumous album Xscape turns out to be a an older piece of music. The track, which was published on Vulture earlier today, is still Michael Jackson according to Slate, though one that hasn't appeared on any major commercial albums, and has been available for years.

Jackson's upcoming album features eight tracks compiled from four decades of archival material and "contemporized" by producers including Timbaland and Rodney Jerkins. A similar process was used to create 2010's Michael, which also featured unreleased material. One reviewer called that album "kind of enjoyable" but warned that "if this decent-enough album is the best of the bunch, things are going to get ugly from here on in."

Sony and Motown Universal seem determined to keep squeezing music out of Jackson's oeuvre

Slate pointed to an earlier appearance of the track from a Jackson impersonator showing off his dancing skills on YouTube, noting that the track didn't sound like the updated version Epic Records teased last week.

Sony and Motown Universal seem determined to keep squeezing music out of Jackson's oeurvre, though. Since the singer's death in the summer of 2009, the label has released This Is It, the "soundtrack" to the documentary, Immortal, a remix album, and Bad — 25th Anniversary Edition, along with several compilations and re-releases.

Update April 9th 8:00PM: The track in question turns out to be an older recording, as pointed out by Slate. This post and its headline have been corrected in light of that.