New Michael Jackson Album Coming in May: ‘XSCAPE’

Epic Records will release an album of previously unheard Michael Jackson songs on May 13, the company announced in a statement last month.

The eight-track album, called XSCAPE, consists of material culled from four decades of recordings made by the star before he passed away in 2009.

The material has been “comtemporized” by well-known producers such as Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins and Stargate, but fans who buy adeluxe edition of the album will also be able to hear the original versions.

“Michael left behind some musical performances that we take great pride in presenting through the vision of music producers that he either worked directly with or expressed strong desire to work with,” Epic Chairman L.A. Reid said.

The album title is derived from one of the new singles. Jackson and Jerkins co-wrote and co-produced the song “Xscape,” which Jerkins “contemporized” for the project, the company said.

Sony’s Columbia Epic Records, Jackson’s record label for three decades, signed a long-term deal with Jackson’s estate to posthumously release music from the large archives of his recordings.

XSCAPE is available for pre-order on iTunes.