What’s a Michael Jackson movie without a soundtrack? The documentary chronicling the rehearsals from the King of Pop’s “This Is It” concerts is about to get a single courtesy of Akon.
The hitman’s business partner Devyne Stephens broke the news to staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud at the VMAs. “We have a collaboration with Michael Jackson,” he revealed. “You’ll see that when the movie actually comes out.”
Before Jackson passed away, Akon spent time working with him on his comeback album. “They went in the studio and recorded quite a few records,” said Stephens.
Akon’s right-hand man described collaborating with the pop legend before his death. “You wouldn’t know that Michael is really a perfectionist. He always thought outside the box,” added the Upfront Megatainment CEO. “Everything was out of the stratosphere. It was bigger than space. That was his whole thing and how he explained things—how he described how he wanted it to sound, how he wants it to feel, how he wants it to look. It was always larger than life.”
One of the songs from their studio sessions, the Akon-assisted “Hold My Hand,” will likely become the first single from This Is It‘s accompanying soundtrack. “I think we should have the leading single off that record.”
The soundtrack version will be similar to the one that leaked online last year. “It’s not changed. We finally had an opportunity to mix it. But otherwise, it’s the same song.”
Just last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved a deal that gives Sony Music Entertainment permission to release the soundtrack to the film, which opens in a limited two-week engagement starting October 28.