Photo Courtesy of Epic Records
As if this year’s Billboard Music Awards weren’t star studded enough, there will now be a “world premiere experience” from the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson. The estate of the legendary singer, who died in 2009, has put together a performance with the remains of his last album and the assistance of famous admirers.
“This is Television History! Michael Jackson like you’ve never seen him before. You do not want to miss it!” the ABC network said in a release. “The Michael Jackson world premiere at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards follows in the footsteps — or dance steps! — of Michael’s most wonderful television moments.” The specific details are currently kept under wraps and will most likely be withheld until the date of the awards.
What is known is that the performance will heavily rely on his final album Xscape, which comes out May 13th. Xscape has been a labor of love for many different songwriters and composers who have assembled a collection of Jackson’s unreleased recordings spanning from 1983 to 1999. Xscape’s first single “Love Never Felt So Good” hit the web last week and was soon followed by a duet version of the song with lifelong fan Justin Timberlake. Adding to the star power of the album are the talents of executive producer Timbaland, who has overseen the creation of the album since its inception.
This news comes just a day after the announcement that Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood will perform at the show to debut their new duet. The Awards will also feature the performances of Miley Cyrus, Ricky Martin, 5 Seconds of Summer, OneRepublic, and John Legend, making this the most anticipated music event of the year.
The Awards will air live Sunday, May 18th at 8 p.m. on ABC. For additional information on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards visit their website at billboardmusicawards.com or the Billboard hub at billboard.com/bbma.