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Michael Jackson ’s new album Xscape has topped the digital charts in more than 50 countries after its release earlier this week, Digital Spy reports.
The King of Pop’s set of eight unheard tracks has been given a contemporary reworking by acclaimed producers such as Timbaland.
The first single from the album, “Love Never Felt So Good” , debuted at the iHeart Radio Music Awards at the beginning of the month.
Justin Timberlake’s vocals feature on the ‘retro’ style song, which was first penned by Jackson and Paul Anka in 1983.
Other singers heard on the album include Mary J Blige and D’Angelo.
“Any artist, I don’t care what genre you do, you should always aspire to be like Michael Jackson,” said Timberlake in 2012.
Another song on Xscape , “Do You Know Where Your Children Are?” is believed to be about Jackson’s child sex abuse allegations .
Its lyrics appear to be about a 12-year-old girl who ends up as a prostitute after fleeing abuse from her stepfather. Jackson sings the phrase “Save me from this living hell” multiple times, leading to fan speculation that the “Bad” star wrote it about the battle to clear his name.
Jackson’s first album after his 2009 death, Michael , proved a disappointment, with some critics claiming certain tracks were performed by an impersonator.
Michael Jackson: From child star to king of popShow all 21 1 /21Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson performs as part of The Jackson 5 in Britain in the Seventies
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson performs on stage at his first solo concert in Kansas City, 1998
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop The singer holds his Grammy Award as he stands with Quincy Jones in 1984
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson performs during his "Dangerous" tour in Bangkok
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Jackson in a 1996 performance in Brunei
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Jackson at a press conference in Paris in 1996
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop 1995 Los Angeles 'VH1 Honors' award ceremony
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop 1993 performance in Singapore
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson at the Grammy Awards, 1993
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson performing at Vincennes hypodrome, 1992
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop The pop icon performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 1993
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop The pop star takes to the stage during his 'HIStory Tour Part II' tour in 1997
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop American singer Michael Jackson performs during 'A Night at the Apollo' in April 2002
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson performs in Earls Court at the World Music Awards in 2006
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson at a press conference in London one month before he died in June 2009
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Auckland, New Zealand 1996 performance as part of his ‘HIStory’ world tour
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Auckland, New Zealand 1996 performance as part of his ‘HIStory’ world tour
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson celebrates his 30th anniversary of being a solo artist
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Performing at The Solo Years’ Concert in celebration of his 30 year anniversary
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Performing at The Solo Years’ Concert in celebration of his 30 year anniversary
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Michael Jackson: From child star to king of pop MJ: Child star to king of pop Michael Jackson in 1997 viewing of his film Ghosts
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Epic Records have released Xscape after CEO LA Reid was granted exclusive access to Jackson’s four-decade archive of material.
The title of the album continues Jackson's tradition of using single words that are also the names of his songs ( Thriller , Bad ,Dangerous ). So far, Xscape , has received favourable reviews.
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