BTS never recorded any song for an upcoming Michael Jackson tribute album! Yes, as much as you would have loved the speculations and rumors, BIGHIT Music has officially denied the entire narrative by issuing an official statement.
With this, the agency clarified that the K-pop boy band has no connection to the project, despite growing speculation fueled by the reports of several international media outlets.
The official statement
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On August 3, MJ Vibe, a renowned Michael Jackson fan site, reported that Paddy Dunning, owner of the Grouse Lodge studio in Ireland, had told The Irish Sun that BTS had recorded a track for a tribute album featuring 10 unreleased songs by Michael Jackson.
However, BTS’s agency BIGHIT MUSIC denied the claims on August 5 and released the following statement:
Hello, this is BIGHIT MUSIC.
We would like to address recent media reports concerning BTS’s alleged participation in a Michael Jackson tribute album.
BTS has neither visited Grouse Lodge Studio in Ireland nor taken part in any recording sessions at the location for the mentioned project. The group is not involved in the tribute album in any capacity.
We are continuing to take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of inaccurate information.
We express our sincere gratitude to fans for continuously showing support for BTS.
We remain fully committed to supporting the artists and their endeavors.
Thank you.
What about the Paddy interview?
Michael Jackson’s sessions at the Grouse Lodge were left unfinished after he departed Ireland. Unfortunately, these legendary pieces of work remained unreleased following the pop icon’s death in 2009.
Meanwhile, Dunning has since begun his efforts to revive the same archive. In an interview with The Irish Sun, he shared about those tracks and revealed that “There’s about ten more, written especially for Michael by the collaborators he worked with in Ireland.”
The project will reportedly also include a documentary reflecting the music icon’s time in Ireland. So, fans can easily get a glimpse of one of the publicly unknown chapters of Michael Jackson’s life.
The tribute album for MJ will feature around ten unreleased tracks written specifically for the late icon by his collaborators in Ireland. These also include producer Rodney Jerkins and rapper Nephew.
Speaking about the same, Dunning noted, “Michael’s estate told me to plough ahead with this because, like me, they see it as a tribute to Michael.”
However, this information was misrepresented by many news outlets and global fan communities, who assumed that the BTS members were going to work on the tribute album.
However, BIGHIT Music’s firm denial discredits all such reports and confirms that neither BTS nor any of its members have participated in the tribute in any form.