{"id":347756,"date":"2026-01-02T08:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/347756\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T08:11:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:11:36","slug":"michael-jackson-2025-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/347756\/","title":{"rendered":"MICHAEL JACKSON \u2013 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Jackson\u2019s global impact continued at full throttle in 2025, with defining moments emerging from every corner of the world. AI upscales, fashion influence, fresh record-breaking achievements and the long-awaited biopic teaser made it another landmark year for the King of Pop.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2025 starts with a surprise when it\u2019s revealed that Rock With You has been upscaled to a higher quality for the first time. Though the upscale doesn\u2019t appear as good as Thriller 4K, it\u2019s a vast improvement from the footage that\u2019s been available on Youtube up to this point.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Leader of K-Pop band ATEEZ, Hongjoong releases a cover of Michael Jackson\u2019s Beat It. Ahead of the release Hongjoog praised Michael in an interview, stating: \u201cMichael Jackson\u2019s music has inspired me since I was young\u2026I wanted to honor his legacy while bringing my own perspective to the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She\u2019s Out Of My Life receives an Ai upscale. As the short film features Michael Jackson simply sat on a stall, singing, the final result is more pleasing and the close up shots capture incredible details.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Following Rock With You\u2019s Upscale, the Estate upscale Don\u2019t Stop Til You Get Enough, however it\u2019s noticeable that while some elements are clear, the ai enhancements remove key details and fail to remain consistent throughout.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MJ The Musical opens in Sydney Australia on March 8, 2025. The launch was attended by a host of Australian celebrities and also included a special guest in the form of Prince Jackson. Prince has been an active supporter of the musical around the world and continues to be a positive advocate for his father\u2019s art.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chilean singer Cris MJ pays tribute to Michael with his new single \u2018Frozen\u2019. The accompanying music video offers several nods to Michael\u2019s iconic style and globally recognised moves.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For the first time ever, the soundtrack to the 1978 musical movie \u2018The Wiz\u2019 lands on Spotify.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Estate announce a new apparel collaboration with Santos Studios, a luxury brand based out of California. The collection follows the trend of the Estate\u2019s ill-fated \u2018MJ Merch Official\u2019 in trying to change the original logos Michael Jackson approved. The collection includes a hoodie for $169 and features images from Thriller & Bad eras \u2013 Because we haven\u2019t had enough of those!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Universal Pictures releases The Wiz back in selected theatres across the US for a limited run. The movie\u2019s re-issue is a chance for the cult-classic to be re-enjoyed by fans and discovered by new audiences.<\/p>\n

\"\"With news of the Michael Jackson biopic still non-existent, the Estate go public with their grievances in a statement to the fans that blames Lionsgate for the lack of updates. It notes that the biopic\u2019s delay is preventing them from planned projects for Dangerous and HIStory. While some fans praise the Estate for its candour, others question the Estate\u2019s decision to release a \u201cfinger-pointing\u201d statement against their partner in the project.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kingvention, the Michael Jackson fan convention returns to London for the first time since 2023, to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. Joined by special guests Dave Way, Bill Nation and Alif Sankey, the event was attended by over 300 Michael Jackson fans and featured special 3D footage, merchandise, interviews, live-talks and a performance by the Brentwood Imperial Youth Band.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Shanghai International Film Festival announces they\u2019ll feature Michael Jackson\u2019s This Is It documentary in IMAX between 13-22nd June 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Local artist Felix Maldonado puts the finishing touches to a new Jacksons mural in Gary Indiana which replaces his previous mural that was demolished in 2020. The new mural can be found in the Miller Beach arts district and is the perfect size for an iconic photo!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque Du Soleil celebrates its 5000th performance on 5th June, 2025 at the Mandalay Bay. Revitalised in 2024, the show featured further enhancements ahead of the milestone achievement. Previously the show had been extended to 2030, which will bring the total run to 17 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Michael Jackson became the inspiration for several performances on this year\u2019s series of Nigerian Idol. Contestant Jkenova gave a special rendition of Man In The Mirror, while fellow contestant Lawrence took on Will You Be There. In a later episode the same month, Lawrence also performs Black or White.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chinese company DAMTOYS reveal two new figurines \u2013 A 1997 HIStory tour, complete with spacesuit and armour and a 1992 Dangerous Tour special. Expected to be released in January 2026, the toys reach up to $6000, continuing the recent push towards high-end or expensive collaborations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Artist MGK channels Michael Jackson\u2019s iconic Dangerous performances in his new music video \u201cVampire Diary\u201d from his new album \u2018Lost Americana\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Black or White becomes the next Michael Jackson short-film to receive AI upscaling treatment. For the most part the results are pleasing, however there is controversy around changes to original footage which the Estate suggest is due to the wrong tape being used. This is soon rectified.<\/p>\n

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Court documents reveal Paris Jackson has concerns with the Estate over what the document refers to as \u201cIrregular Payments.\u201d Paris highlights \u201cso-called premium payments for unrecorded attorney time,\u201d over $625,000 in payments that the Estate are asking the court to approve to three law firms for hours that weren\u2019t properly documented. The Estate argued against Paris\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n

This topic continues to unfold throughout the rest of 2025 and Paris rightly appears to remain focused on accountability.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Celebrations for Michael Jackson\u2019s 67th Birthday take place in Gary, Indiana attended by Marlon Jackson, Jackie Jackson and Chris Tucker. The event includes a Block Party with DJ set across two days.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In the UK, Smooth Radio\u2019s annual \u2018Icons\u2019 poll concludes with Michael Jackson in 3rd position based on voting from the public. In 2019, Michael achieved the same position before rising to the number 1 position in 2020, 2021, 2022. 2023 saw Michael slip slightly to 2nd place and 2024 saw him move to 3rd. With the biopic taking place in 2026, we\u2019re confident Michael can reclaim the crown.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s 1987 iconic song \u2018Bad\u2019 features in a new promotional teaser for the upcoming animated movie \u2018Bad Guy 2\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

WWE Superstar Naomi channels Michael with a Thrillerific tribute. For her performance at WWE Raw, Naomi wore her take on Michael\u2019s iconic Thriller jacket from the 1983 short film.<\/p>\n

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Modern fashion brand \u2018Supreme\u2019 unveil their Fall\/Winter 2025 collection which includes a Michael Jackson capsule. The range features 2 hoodies, 3 pairs of shorts and a skateboard deck all showcasing the Dangerous album cover. This marks the second Michael Jackson collaboration since 2017.<\/p>\n

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As tradition now dictates, the Estate\u2019s annual birthday celebration takes place in Vegas and remains mostly uninspiring. Despite Michael\u2019s endless array of collaborators and creative partners, the Estate again offer a Michael Bush book signing which has been a feature for over a decade. Karen Langford returns with her new position as host, dressed in a replica of Michael\u2019s red lion shirt from This Is It. Langford unveils the RIAA Certification Award for Off The Wall and is joined by Prince Jackson and Jamie King for a chat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

US Brand \u2018Shoe Palace\u2019 release a range of official Michael Jackson t-shirts and basketball shorts. Though the collection is mostly Bad, Thriller and Off The Wall era, it\u2019s universally praised by fans for designs which remain close to Michael\u2019s original output and it\u2019s fair and affordable price points.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian secures her place in the 2026 Winter Olympics after securing a victory at the final qualifying event in Beijing with a Michael Jackson inspired routine.<\/p>\n

Petrosian\u2019s performance included a medley of Michael\u2019s hits: Earth Song, Billie Jean and They Don\u2019t Care About Us.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Japanese Designer Kazunori Sasaki releases never-before-seen photos of Michael from his visit to Sega in Tokyo in 1996 to work on an unreleased game project. The contact sheet of images feature Michael from a range of angles and offering a number of facial expressions.<\/p>\n

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Independent US fashion brand Actively Black showcase their new official Michael Jackson collaboration at New York fashion week with performances including Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, Billie Jean and famed French performer Salif performing to You Rock My World. The collection includes official apparel alongside an inspired-by collection.<\/p>\n

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A previous unseen collection of photos of Michael during the recording of We Are The World is released by Harry Benson on his official website. The collection includes stunning images of Michael smiling during the recording sessions as well as embracing his good friend Diana Ross.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MJ The Musical releases a special edition Playbill for October to pay tribute to Michael\u2019s legendary Thriller short film. The iconic red leather jacket is worn by one of the actors and takes centre stage on the cover.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mariah Carey reveals that her Michael Jackson collaboration is ready but has been delayed as the Estate is planning \u201csomething really huge\u201d for his legacy. On \u2018Watch What Happens Live\u2019, Carey shared that every time she played the song for someone, their reaction was overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Forbes once again ranks Michael as the highest earning dead celebrity, pulling in $105million in 12 months, pushing his post-death earnings to an estimated $3.5billion since 2009.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that while business decisions or collaboration deals may continue to make the Estate profitable, NONE of it would be possible if it wasn\u2019t for MICHAEL JACKSON\u2019S incredible talent, artistry, genius and the work he created. It\u2019s because of HIS legacy which he created, that people continue to see shows which bear his name, play his music and wear his branded apparel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chinese robotics company Booster Robotics release their new Booster K1 \u2013 a humanoid robot that can walk, balance and perform dance routines. As part of the launch the K1 was able to demonstrate moves inspired by Michael, including the Moonwalk!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kingvention, the Michael Jackson Fan Convention takes place for the second time in 2025, this time at the Hit Factory in New York. Dubbed KV NYC, the event welcomed back Diana Walczak, Steven Paul Whitsitt and Dan Beck, featured a special HIStory panel discussion and let fans get up close and personal with the original HIStory statue. As an added feature, fans were able to have their photo taken on the original backdrop used by Michael and Lisa Marie Presley in 1994.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Following Halloween, Thriller jumps from 32 to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The achievement means that Michael Jackson makes history by becoming the first artist ever to achieve a Top 10 hit in six consecutive decades \u2013 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s.<\/p>\n

They can\u2019t stand it because he\u2019s unbreakable!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The final series of Stranger Things returns after what feels like an eternity and features Michael\u2019s \u2018Rockin\u2019 Robin\u2019 as part of the soundtrack. This is not the first time Stranger Things featured Michael as elements of Thriller were used in a trailer for an earlier season when the team couldn\u2019t get through the complex licensing process to licence the full song.<\/p>\n

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IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!! After months and months of no updates a teaser for the Michael Jackson Biopic \u2018Michael\u2019 finally dropped alongside a poster. The short teaser gives audiences their first proper glimpse of Jaafar Jackson as Michael and has gone on to become one of the most watched trailers of all time. With 2026 expected to be a significant year for Michael owing to the Biopic, the teaser set the pace for a deep dive into Michael\u2019s creativity through the 60s, 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n

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A six-foot Michael Jackson Thriller cake is unveiled in Birmingham, England at Cake International. Made from sugar paste, chocolate, Rice Krispies and marshmallows, the creation to six weeks to make. Artist Emma Jayne is responsible for this uniquely sweet tribute.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We Are The World is re-issued with an enhanced video and Spatial Audio version of the charity single. The remastered version of the song is made available on streaming platforms and Youtube.<\/p>\n

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Hackers went full \u2018Billie Jean\u2019 mode on Rainbow Six Siege after the game became compromised. The game\u2019s live ban tracker displayed unexpected messages with observant players noticing Michael Jackson\u2019s Billie Jean lyrics appearing before each banned player.<\/p>\n

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Billie Jean short film surpasses 2 Billion views on YouTube, marking yet another milestone for Michael in 2025.<\/p>\n

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To complete the Dangerous era short film upscales, Will You Be There is released. Since July when Black or White\u2019s upscale was released, all of the Dangerous films have received the same treatment \u2013 to terrible results. In The Closet and Give In To Me are almost unwatchable in their \u2018upscaled\u2019 form and this is the result of a lazy, low budget investment in Michael\u2019s work and a lack of respect for the original. As the King of the Short film, Michael\u2019s ground-breaking work needs to upscaled correctly or left alone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin briefly pays tribute to Michael at a show in Paris with a performance of The Way You Make Me Feel. Martin mentioned the performance was in honour of his uncle who saw Michael on the HIStory World Tour in Paris.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

UAE based apparel makers GOAT Skins announce a limited-edition Michael Jackson \u2018Dangerous Jersey\u2019 in collectable packaging. The jersey features the Dangerous album cover an is limited to 999 pieces, priced at the premium price of $400.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As something to look forward to at the start of 2026, it is announced that Michael Jackson Number Ones will be made available on vinyl for the first time. Released on 2x vinyl set, several versions will be made available \u2013 Black, Red and Silver. As something fans have been asking for over the years, it feels like we were finally heard \u2013 on this one at least.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

With 2025 now completed, it\u2019s all systems go for what\u2019s been dubbed \u2018The Year Of Michael!\u2019 And we are here for it! With the biopic serving as the catalyst for renewed attention of Michael\u2019s life, career and image, the year ahead is expected to be filled with accolades, events, re-issues, merchandise and exclusives.<\/p>\n

And MJVibe will be here to document it all as Your Number One source for Michael Jackson News and Updates!<\/p>\n

Pez Jax.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michael Jackson\u2019s global impact continued at full throttle in 2025, with defining moments emerging from every corner of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347757,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-347756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}