In 2010, Damien Shields, then 22, was reloading Michael Jackson’s official website over and over again at home in Australia, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the much-hyped unreleased song “Breaking News.” When it arrived, he was disappointed, then angry. He believes the King of Pop, who died on June 25, 2009, did not perform the song. This is an imposter. “I’m as outraged as thousands of other fans,” Shields said. “But unlike other fans, I wanted to do something about it.”
That moment spawned a 14-year DIY investigative journalism project that included an expensive trip to Los Angeles to interview Jackson’s nephew, Taryll Jackson, and a search of the archives of the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. podcast, Fake MichaelHe said the show, which is available on major podcast platforms, is “the untold story of music’s biggest fraud.”
Shields calls it a “true crime podcast,” inspired by NPR sequence and presented a methodical case that Eddie Cascio and James Porter, two producers and friends of Jackson, faked their voices on “Breaking News,” “Monsters” and “Keep Your Head Up.” swindled Jackson’s estate and longtime record label Sony Music. In 2010, the estate struck a $250 million deal with Sony for 10 albums, which included deluxe reissues of Jackson’s previous albums as well as new and unreleased material. However, Shields argued that the estate was under pressure to provide new tracks and struck a deal with Cassio and Porter, whom Shields accused of hiring a man named Jason Ma Lucky’s imposter singer.
according to Fake MichaelIn August 2010, when super-producer Teddy Riley and Taryll began post-production on the song, Taryll concluded that his late uncle was not included in the song voices and complained on social media. The podcast also reported that the label asked the producers for their expertise but ignored their feedback and released the tracks in December 2010.
Damien Shields
call it
The parties reached an undisclosed agreement in 2022 after fans filed a class-action lawsuit against the estate and Sony. Michael. Sony representatives declined to comment, and representatives from the Jackson estate did not respond to requests for comment. Attorneys representing Casio and Porter in the lawsuit did not respond to requests for comment. But Shields, 36, discussed Fake Michael Zoom from Australia.
What should listeners get from your podcast?
This is artistic forgery.
How do you fund all this research?
It is at one’s own expense. When I started taking this seriously and started traveling abroad, it was very difficult. I had a minimum wage type job at a marketing company with no money. I would save up, then travel, do research, come back penniless, then save up, and do it again. In 2017, I quit my job and started working full-time. To raise money, I started driving for a rideshare service. One of the interviews I did was with Teddy Riley’s manager, Lawanda [Lane]. [According to the podcast, Riley, who had worked with Jackson, received $50,000 per track for Michael, including the Cascio-Porte material.] For eleven years I have been trying to find LaWanda. She texted me at 2am Australian time: “Hey Damian, I’m ready to talk.” I said, “Now?” She said, “I’ll be ready in 10 minutes.” So I Turned off my ride-sharing app, drove home and interviewed her for four and a half hours. This is one of the cornerstone interviews.
The podcast suggests that Sony and the estate struck this deal with Casio and Porter because they were eager to release Jackson’s unheard music immediately after his death. How did they fall?
There’s a stipulation in the agreement that you’re going to release X number of songs on Y number of projects in Z years. When the estate has a sound problem and people tell them “well, that’s not Michael,” they have to weigh “what’s the impact of releasing it anyway?” versus the consequences of breaking the contract.
Why do you think the estate was so desperate for Jackson’s unreleased material during this period?
The material that Michael spent the last few years of his life working on – he didn’t really do anything with it [with it]. He has been with [singer] Akon worked for two or three years, writing a poem and some improvisations in the duet. He has been with [producer] It has been popular for a year or two. RedOne thought he had a song that might be released, but it would have to be “We Are the World” style with multiple artists because he didn’t have enough of a relationship with Michael. [The estate] I want songs from the last year [from 2009]. They couldn’t do it because there was no final song. Casio’s track is [allegedly] Final year song.
You play recorded music clips, including those that appear in Michael and unreleased studio recordings. Did you have to clean them up with Legacy and Sony?
A large amount of the information Cascio and Porte handed over to Sony leaked online in the spring of 2015. [It’s unclear who was responsible for the leak.] The source material is on the Internet. You have to let an audience hear it, but you have to respect fair use copyright guidelines. [The recordings are] Only used when I’m talking about something to prove my point. Ethics are my top priority.
You also don’t want John Branca, co-executor of the Jackson estate, to come after you.
I hope John Blanca Would appreciate this. While this makes the estate look stupid, it does show that they were the victims of fraud. The estate should listen to this and say: “We have to contact the authorities.”
Have you heard from Cascio or Porte or anyone from the Hacienda or Sony?
No. Even though we’re talking about what I consider to be some of the biggest scams in music history, I’m making a very conscious effort not to attack anyone’s character. Actions speak for themselves.
What to do next?
I want to have a good sleep!
