MUMBAI: King of Pop Michael Jackson might have gone to the great Neverland but his legacy is never more alive than on his death anniversary 25 June when he succumbed to a combination of prescription pills and exhaustion leaving the world at 51 years of age.
In a first of its kind salutation to Jackson, music channel 9XO will telecast the best and most popular of his songs chosen by his fans through social networking site Twitter.
The channel’s 'Michael Jackson Tweetdown Special' will initiate a real time countdown of MJ’s best dance, rock, funk and ballads from his multi-platinum hits ‘Thriller’, ‘Bad’, ‘Dangerous’ to select the top 15 tracks which will be played throughout 25 June.
Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, 9XO channel head Luke Kenny said Jackson’s legacy was strong as ever among generation Millennial who were as aware of his music and legacy.
“Today’s generation is very much aware of Michael’s music and his legacy and he is on the top of their list when it comes to setting the benchmark for pop music and entertainment. There could be another Justin Beiber or Bruno Mars but no other Michael Jackson,” he said.
India was one of Jackson’s strongest markets (if not the biggest in terms of album sales) because he epitomized international pop music, that urban Indian middle class youth hankered for but rarely got to taste till 1991 when cable TV was introduced.
Post 1991, the country youth and his fans from the 80’s and earlier period, got the opportunity to experience the full talent of Jackson through cable TV. Gen Y too got to experience his exceptional talent as an entertainer- singer, dancer, performer and songwriter- through the Internet.
“Jackson’s music and videos can be divided into three parts for India. The Thriller era from 1983-1990 when the only way to access his music was through tapes (cassettes), state-run Doordarshan and footage brought by friends and relatives from abroad. The early and mid 90s (when cable TV became 24 hours) got a new generation to see Jackson in a free format compared to the previous generation who could only listen and read about him, ” Kenny said.
Despite a few Bollywood films trying to rip off his music and moves, the full impact of his persona only came out in the 90s’, Kenny pointed out.
He said that contemporary pop artists are still trying to emulate the magic of Jackson on their records and performances- not so much as in blind imitation but more as a reminder to audience of how music- especially Jackson’s music- should be enjoyed- just as it is.
“The true message of Michael is that the performer and the audience should leave the venue with unforgettable memories.”
The 9XO Tweetdown Special is to go beyond the ‘regular’ tribute show of playing an artist’s repertoire of songs and getting audiences and fans to chose and select the songs.
“What we’ll get in our Tweetdown is real time requests and ranking of Michael’s tracks. We are using the mechanism to find out how Gen Y love him and follow him, and we’re getting response by the truckload for someone who was a 360 degree artist,” he informed.