24 June,2024 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Michael Jackson performs at the 1996 History tour. Pic Courtesy/Getty Images
I used to live in the United States in the early 1980s, when he was on the rise with Jackson 5. He was the last of the major individual superstars starting with [Frank] Sinatra or Elvis [Presley].
His music was the driving force, and precedes the performances. I am yet to see a performer; a dancer like him. He made the Moonwalk iconic, and much of the stuff he did defined him. Sometimes, the way he presented the song superseded the song itself. I remember being in the front row in Mumbai for his concert in 1996, and being completely blown away by his stage presence. It was unbelievable.
The phenomenal arrangements and albums with Quincy Jones were brilliant. Surprisingly, he never played an instrument. He would just mouth the tunes he had in his head.
Recco: My favourite is the album, Off the Wall that blew me away with its great production, and it is very funky. This was Michael Jackson before he became a phenomenon.
The main reason for his phenomena is that he was the definition of true artistry. Be it the performance aspect, music videos, art direction or the music, he was one of the greatest of all time. In a generation where music distribution was truly limited, Jackson had a global impact. My father, Manish Mehra, was a huge fan of MJ, and I got hooked onto his music when I was five or six years old.
The music drew me in, then the stories and the buzz made it more interesting. That [mythos] is something an artiste dreams of. I remember hearing the anecdote where Michael Jackson couldn't play an instrument and recorded all the sounds through acapella vocals. The video recently surfaced, and it is such a magical thing to witness.
One of my fondest memories was from when MJ came to India. My dad went and got a Thriller jacket stitched to wear to the Delhi show. That's the love I have inherited for him.
Recco: I love the Thriller Super Deluxe edition with will.i.am, Akon and Kanye adding to it.
I had the honour of doing the opening act for Michael Jackson's show in Mumbai. He was way ahead of his time. Nothing in current music comes close. From Billie Jean to Thriller, there are wonderful songs. As a lyricist and composer, he could create a story.
Michael managed to touch the world's soul. There was a lot of empathy [for him]. If you had watched him perform, that moment was the pinnacle of his powers. He was so into the performance that nothing else mattered. It was pure talent. He had the voice, and the lyrics were not banal. There was a structure to his compositions. His melodies, hooks and thought concepts were iconic.
I never got to meet him though because of the tight security. He came on stage, performed, and went off. That [opening] act remains an iconic moment for me. I remember people were crying in the audience. If the world had ended after that moment, people would have accepted it.
Recco: Heal the world, The way you make me feel, Billie Jean and Thriller are my picks.
I heard of Michael Jackson through my school competitions and annual days in Scindia School in New Delhi. We would practice and sing Michael Jackson songs. The first time I sang MJ on stage was in my teens, for a theatre/music experience where I sang The way you make me feel.
Both my parents were fans. Even people you wouldn't expect to have heard of Michael Jackson had heard of him. He was a part of everything back then. Even when he died, the mystery around his death was such a big story. It was on the news in India. His life, his music and his death were so influential on our generation.
His works are extremely musical. Many artistes today are less about music and more about celebrity culture. For him, being a celebrity was an after-effect of how much talent there was. He is the only person whose music justifies the celebrity status around him. I understand the comparison with Taylor Swift, but I feel that there was a natural ease about Michael Jackson's performances.
Recco: My favourite would be Stranger in Moscow
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Thriller album jacket. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia commons
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