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Holler. It’s Kathleen from the New.Music.Live. team. So this weekend, the teaser trailer for Michael Jackson’s new single “Hold My Hand” featuring Akon was released. It’s MJ’s first posthumous single. The album comes out next week. So here’s my question: where’s the hype?

It’s Michael Jackson, the single greatest entertainer in music history, the most celebrated pop star for generations. Where’s the hype? The pre-album press in recent weeks for artists like Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj was massive. Those artists were all we could talk about for weeks leading up to their release dates while Michael’s release seems to be going unnoticed. So where’s the love for MJ?

His death might have something to do with it. Jackson obviously isn’t here to do the press circuit. Maybe the media and his fans think it’s too soon after his untimely death to dance it out to a new single. Maybe it’s Akon. No offense to the singer/rapper but he hasn’t had a big hit in a while and the collaboration between the King of Pop and the Prince of Auto-tune (T-Pain takes the king crown) seems a little strange.

As a massive MJ fan, I was a little worried when I first heard that Akon would be on the album, let alone the first single. The best thing about Michael is that his music is timeless so trying to modernize it with senseless collabs is just wrong. But, as usual, I’m eating my words. The teaser finds MJ’s voice in fine form and Akon seems to fit perfectly, adding a touch of 2010 to Michael’s classically ‘80s sound.

I’m sure it was hard to film a video for an artist after their death, but the teaser proves it can be done, and it can be done well. It’s a combination of MJ singing in a single spotlight, mixed with inspiring images of people around the world. It’s got a very “Earth Song”/ “Heal The World” vibe. I’m digging it. So I’m officially starting the campaign to get MJ’s new album more media attention. He doesn’t need a tabloid scandal or magazine covers to sell albums but he definitely deserves the press. Plus, the clip speaks for itself. MJ may be gone, but he’s not going anywhere.

Check it out below and tell us what you think!

- Kathleen
New.Music.Live. Team
@muchNML

Tags: Akon, michael jackson, playlist

Posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 5:51 pm by Guest Blogger and is filed under Blog, Celebrities & Pop Culture, Music & Videos, nml.

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