The myth was true: Michael Jackson wrote music for Sonic

Yuji Naka, one of Sonic’s fathers, confirmed on Twitter an old rumor linked to the third adventure of the blue hedgehog: Michael Jackson did a good job on the soundtrack.

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The soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was it partly composed by Michael Jackson? This myth has existed for years. The King of Pop, who died in 2009, was never credited, but the rumors persisted. In tweets posted on June 23Yuji Naka, one of the fathers of Sonic, put an end to the debate: yes, Michael Jackson worked well on the soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

« Have the music tracks in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changed? “, he wondered on the social network. Before answering: Oh my God, they’ve changed, even though Sega uses Michael Jackson’s compositions. He even shared a photo taken near the former star’s home from his helicopter. ” I miss it “, he admits. Why talk about it today? Just because Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is part of the compilation Sonic Originsavailable since June 23.

Michael Jackson is well connected to Sonic

In an article published on June 10, VG247 recalls the links between Sega and Michael Jackson. The singer and the Japanese firm have worked together on several projects, such as the video game Moonwalker (where we play Michael Jackson himself) or the Space Channel 5 (where he appears). There was also talk of a collaboration around Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Why was there a rift between Michael Jackson and Sega? Two opposing theories.

• On the one hand, the publisher would no longer have wanted to be associated with a person accused of sexual abuse of minors (the accusations began in 1993, the game was released in 1994).
• On the other, the icon would have been unhappy with the audio output produced by the Mega Drive console (which would not do justice to his work and his talent).

If, officially, Sega removed all mentions of Michael Jackson in the credits of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, his compositions would have been preserved. In an interview published on May 29, 2022 by Abbey Road Institute, Brad Buxer, composer who has worked with Michael Jackson, confirmed Michael Jackson’s participation. In this 2016 Huffington Post article, other musicians documented his involvement. It is now beyond doubt thanks to Yuji Naka.

For compiling Sonic Originsdeprived of certain titles for questions of rights, Sega appealed to Jun Senoue — « who worked hard to adapt the tracks that were composed in 1993 “. Fans will not fail to strain their ears to find out if, yes or no, Michael Jackson’s paw has definitely disappeared.

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