MJ (album)

This article is about the 2022 Broadway cast recording. For the musical, see MJ the Musical.

MJ (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is the cast album to the 2021 musical MJ. The musical tells the story of American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson with book written by Lynn Nottage. The music and lyrics are mostly by Michael Jackson. The recording stars Myles Frost, Ayana George, Christian Wilson, Tavon Olds-Sample, Antoine L. Smith, Apollo Levine, Quentin Earl Darrington, Whitney Bashor, Trey Campbell, Lamont Walker II. It also features Raymond Baynard and Zelig Williams.^[1][2]

MJ (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Cast recording by the original Broadway cast of MJ the Musical
Released	July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
Recorded	February 7–8, 2022
Studio	Power Station at Berklee, NYC
Genre	Pop R&B soul Disco
Length	59:39
Label	Sony
Producer	David Holcenberg Jason Michael Webb Derik Lee (also co.) Lia Vollack (also exec.) John Branca (also exec.) John McClain (also exec.)

Recording for the original Broadway cast album took place on February 7 and 8, 2022.^[3] The original Broadway cast recording was released on July 15, 2022.^[4] A snippet of Billie Jean was shared on May 19 by The New York Times in anticipation of the album.^[5] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, losing to Into the Woods.^[6]

Track listing

Act One

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Beat It"	Michael Jackson	Myles Frost John Edwards Ayana George Apollo Levine Tavon Olds-Sample Lamont Walker II	2:45
2.	"Jackson 5 Medley (The Love You Save / I Want You Back / ABC)"	The Corporation	Christian Wilson Devin Trey Campbell Edwards Levine Walker	3:28
3.	"I'll Be There"	Berry Gordy Bob West Willie Hutch Hal Davis	Ayana George Wilson Frost	3:32
4.	"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough / Blame It on the Boogie / Dancing Machine"	Jackson Mick Jackson Dave Jackson Elmar Krohn Hal Davis Don Fletcher Dean Parks	Frost Olds-Sample Original Broadway Cast of MJ	5:32
5.	"Stranger in Moscow"	Jackson	Frost Edwards Ayana George Levine Olds-Sample Walker	2:17
6.	"You Can't Win"	Charlie Smalls	Antoine L. Smith Olds-Sample Cast	1:59
7.	"I Can't Help It"	Stevie Wonder Susaye Greene	Olds-Sample Frost	2:28
8.	"Keep the Faith"	Jackson Glen Ballard Siedah Garrett	Levine Olds-Sample Edwards George Walker	1:31
9.	"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"	Jackson	Olds-Sample Frost Cast	2:33
10.	"Earth Song / They Don't Care About Us"	Jackson	Frost Cast	3:36
Total length:				29:41

Act Two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Billie Jean"	Jackson	Myles Frost Edwards George Apollo Levine Tavon Olds-Sample Lamont Walker II	3:27
2.	"Smooth Criminal"	Jackson	Frost Edwards George Levine Olds-Sample Walker	2:31
3.	"Victory Tour (For the Love Of Money / Can You Feel It)"	Jackson Jackie Jackson Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff Anthony Jackson	Quentin Earl Darrington Olds-Sample Raymond Baynard Edwards George Levine Walker Zelig Williams	3:06
4.	"Keep the Faith (Reprise)"	Jackson Ballard Garrett	Frost Darrington Cast	1:49
5.	"She's Out of My Life"	Tom Bahler	Frost Olds-Sample	2:58
6.	"Human Nature"	Steve Porcaro John Bettis	Frost Whitney Bashor Cast	2:34
7.	"Bad / 2 Bad"	Jackson Dallas Austin Swedien Moore	Frost Cast	1:30
8.	"Thriller"	Rod Temperton	Frost Christian Wilson Darrington Edwards George Levine Olds-Sample Walker	4:01
9.	"Man in the Mirror"	Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett	Cast	4:07
10.	"Finale (Jam / Black or White / Wanna Be Startin' Somethin')"	Jackson Rene Swedien Teddy Riley Bill Bottrell	Cast	3:55
Total length:				29:58

Personnel

Cast Myles Frost - Michael Jackson Ayana George - Katherine Jackson Christian Wilson - Little Michael Tavon Olds-Sample - Teenage Michael / Young Adult Michael Antoine L. Smith - Berry Gordy / Nick Apollo Levine - Quincy Jones / Tito Jackson Quentin Earl Darrington - Joe Jackson / Rob Whitney Bashor - Rachel Trey Campbell - Little Marlon John Edwards - Jackie Jackson Lamont Walker II - Jermaine Jackson Ensemble vocals Raymond Baynard Zelig Williams.

Production Orchestrations - Jason Michael Webb & David Holcenberg Producer - Derik Lee Mixed - Alex Ghenea Musicians Keyboards - Jason Michael Webb, Michael O. Mitchell Guitars - Alex Nolan, Jeffrey Lee Campbell Bass - Cheiton Grey Drums - Andrew Atkinson Percussion - Wilson Torres Reeds - Brandon Wright, Jason Curry Trumpet - Tony Kadleck, Brian Pareschi Trombone - Danny Hall Additional musicians for recording

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022)	Peak position
US Cast Albums (Billboard)^[7]	1
UK^[8]	88

Awards

Year	Award type	Categories	Results	Ref.
2023	Grammy Awards	Best Musical Theater Album	Nominated	^[6]

References

1. "Sony Music Set to Release 'MJ the Musical - Original Broadway Cast Recording' on Friday, July 15". Legacy Recordings. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
2. "'MJ the Musical' to release cast album in July". TheGrio. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
3. "MJ The Musical: The Original Broadway Cast Recording". MJVibe.com. February 8, 2022.
4. Wild, Stephi (June 10, 2022). "Preorder MJ THE MUSICAL Original Cast Recording Today". Broadwayworld.
5. Allah, Sha Be (June 10, 2022). "The Source |Sony Music Set To Release "MJ the Musical - Original Broadway Cast Recording" On July 15". The Source. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
6. "Grammy Awards 2023: The Full List of Nominees". The New York Times. November 15, 2022.
7. "Cast Albums". Billboard.
8. https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/original-broadway-cast-mj-the-musical/

External links

• Official website