On January 27, 2023, during an In the Studio with MJ seminar hosted by Michael Jackson's sound engineer Brad Sundberg, his laptop with Jackson's unreleased material was stolen by one of the attendees. Following the theft, 50 GB of previously unseen and unheard content had leaked online.
One of the fans who attended one of the seminars in 2024 later confirmed that the black laptop was the stolen one.
Timeline[]
The seminar was hosted in Brussels, Belgium, starting at 7 PM and ending at noon. The specifics of which exact time the laptop was stolen are unknown.
| “ | We turned our backs for a few seconds and the computer and the hard drive, not only were they gone, but it seems as though this individual actually climbed out of a window and ran across the roof and broke a skylight. | ” |
–Sundberg on the theft, January 29, 2023[1] | ||
Reaction[]
The news shocked many fans around the world. Many were supportive of Sundberg, even deciding not to listen to the leaked songs. The event was dubbed one of the "wildest music leaks in years".[2]
Two days after the theft occurred, Sundberg released a now-deleted statement on Instagram.
| “ | It’s just frustrating. It’s hurtful and it’s frustrating when something you worked so hard for and 99% of our guests are absolutely wonderful, fantastic people. And unfortunately, something like this happens. [...] We obviously do have backups, Brian Vibberts is here and he's been fantastic, letting me use his computer tomorrow. | ” |
–Sundbergon the theft, January 29, 2023[1] | ||
Investigation[]
It hasn't been officially confirmed who committed the crime, although Sundberg stated he and his team tracked down the thief and know who they are. According to the president of a Chinese fan club about Jackson, the thief is the same person who recorded and leaked low-quality recordings of "Chicago 1945" and "Dream Away" in November 2022.[3] As it is known by now, the case has been closed, and the laptop was returned to Sundberg.[4]
Aftermath[]
Following the incident, Sundberg took a month-long break and wouldn't continue In the Studio with MJ until April 28, 2023, in Atlanta.[5][6]
Leaks[]
| Title | Year | Album | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I Can't Help It" (Demo) | 1979 | Off the Wall | N/A |
| "Chicago 1945" | 1983 | Victory | Previously leaked in November 2022 as a low-quality phone recording. |
| "Smooth Criminal" (Demo) | 1985 | Bad | Cut down to a minute and twenty-seven seconds, full recording is unavailable. |
| "Liberian Girl" (Harmonies) | 1986 | Previously leaked in 2018 as a low-quality phone recording. | |
| "Speed Demon" (Demo) | Previously leaked in 2020 as a low-quality phone recording. | ||
| "Streetwalker" (Rough Demo) | N/A | ||
| "Someone Put Your Hand Out" (Demo) | 1987 | Previously leaked in 2020 as a low-quality phone recording. | |
| "The Way You Make Me Feel" (30th Annual Grammy Awards Intro) | 1988 | N/A | The studio version of the intro was created for the performance of "The Way You Make Me Feel" at the Grammy Awards in 1988. Initially leaked online as a low-quality phone recording a few years prior. |
| "Earth Song" (Demo) | Dangerous | Previously leaked in 2018 as a low-quality phone recording. | |
| "Deep in the Night" (Instrumental) | 1990 | ||
| "For All Time" (Demo) | Different from the one leaked in the 2000s. Also previously leaked sometime in 2020 as a low-quality phone recording. | ||
| "Give In to Me" (Writing session) | The original recording lasts about fifteen minutes, this is a cut-down, six-minute version. | ||
| "Heal the World" (Demo) | Decade/Dangerous | N/A | |
| "Superfly Sister" (Instrumental) | Dangerous | Snippet. | |
| "Jam" (Demo) | 1991 | Features an alternate rap verse. This mix is also referred to as "Bruce's Ruff Mix". | |
| "Keep the Faith" (Demo) | Different from the one leaked in the 2000s. | ||
| "Family Thing" (Demo) | 1993 | N/A | Previously leaked in 2018 as a low-quality phone recording. |
| "Childhood" (Alternate mix) | 1994 | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | Created on August 24, 1994. Not much different than the final mix.[7] |
| "The Verdict" (Instrumental) | Two versions leaked; beat + bass and the beat on its own.[8] | ||
| "Willing and Waiting" (Writer's demo) | Performed by Babyface for HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. | ||
| "Faces" (Demo) | Previously leaked in 2020 as a low-quality phone recording. |
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "African Booty" home video[9] | 1990 |
| "Family Friday" home video[10] | |
| Putting together an early track list for Dangerous[11] | 1991 |
| Recording sessions of "Stranger in Moscow"[12] | 1994 |
| Recording sessions of "Childhood"[13] | |
| Recording sessions of "She Drives Me Wild" | 1990 |
| Recording sessions of "Can't Let Her Get Away"[14] | |
| Recording sessions of "They Don't Care About Us"[15] [16] | 1994 |
| Recording sessions of "Monkey Business"[17] | 1989 |
| Recording sessions of "Someone Put Your Hand Out"[18] | 1990 |
| Recording sessions of "Will You Be There"[19] [20] | 1990 |
| Recording sessions of "Earth Song"[21] | 1994 |
| Footage of dancers for "Faces" | |
| Christmas Star Orchestra Kids Choir ProRes.mov |
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| DAT's of the Decade compilation album | 1989-1991 |
| Unused "Bad" lyrics | 1986 |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kurrco on X: "Brad Sundberg's statement on the leaks: https://x.com/Kurrco/status/1619770998882201603/video/1..." / X
- ↑ Amerian Songwriter: 50 GB of Unreleased Michael Jackson Content Stolen
- ↑ Keen Zhang on X: "It was the same guy that recorded the songs at Steve Porcaro's seminar, but I heard it was another guy… who’s on the run to France. Not the man and the name in the photo" / X
- ↑ MJ Vibe - Case closed for Brad Sundberg stolen laptop
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoifT2IJgR9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MTIyMzRjYmRlZg==
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpwPE78jL-J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MTIyMzRjYmRlZg==
- ↑ https://krakenfiles.com/view/onCQj1Fjc6/file.html
- ↑ https://krakenfiles.com/view/YLPAF6Mz6r/file.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tgHYxiayM
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhabyYi1eBM
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncknokgmP5c&t=308s&pp=ygUobWljaGFlbCBqYWNrc29uIGRhbmdlcm91cyB0cmFja2xpc3QgbGVhaw%3D%3D
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRHtNGk1vU&pp=ygUsbWljaGFlbCBqYWNrc29uIHJlY29yZGluZyBzdHJhbmdlciBpbiBtb3Njb3c%3D
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YmoUEjHYKk
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv4zr5d2Oj0&pp=ygUabWljaGFlbCBqYWNrc29uIHJlY29yZGluZyA%3D
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzDKKNmoWDQ
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Mu5pPVWqWXE
- ↑ https://youtu.be/bsHZQ71LPPs
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Zg-_gKxzk
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Cwl9UBPAT7k
- ↑ https://youtu.be/jkRYQ5SecTY
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10qwT-gxacM&pp=ygUgUmVjb3JkaW5nIHNlc3Npb25zIG9mIEVhcnRoIFNvbmc%3D