Michael Jackson is one of the biggest legends in music, and it’s no surprise he’s called the King of Pop. During his life, he faced a lot of criticism for different reasons, but after his passing, the talk only seemed to increase. Along with that, some of his interviews and performances started going viral again, but one concert, in particular, really caught people off guard.
Especially for those who didn’t get to follow the star’s career closely, seeing Jackson sing in such a different way from what everyone was used to was shocking. It was just a brief moment during one of his biggest hits where he used a deeper voice, but that was enough to leave everyone speechless and a bit confused.
Michael Jackson Sings With Deep Voice At Copenhagen Concert In 1997
For true Michael Jackson fans, this might not come as a huge surprise, but for most people, it’s a moment they never expected to witness. The singer had several iconic trademarks throughout his career, like the famous moonwalk, white tape on his fingers, but also his signature high-pitched voice.
That voice was the falsetto he used in most of his songs, but it didn’t completely fade when he was off stage either. The thing is, few people knew that it wasn’t his natural tone, even though the public watched him grow up and become the King of Pop without any noticeable change in that aspect.
Recently, a video from Jackson’s HIStory Tour concert in Copenhagen in 1997 went viral, showing a moment where he performs “In the Closet” with a much deeper voice than usual:
The reactions have been mixed:
@tshegoworld That tone switch is crazzzy damn.
@berkaysamitokuscu At least a hundred people died listening to this live
@augustadams.official That’s a sexy ahh voice
@lasheenhamkari I SCREAMED SO LOUD THAT SCARED ME
@theginmole Did not know his voice could actually be low
Whether it was part of his persona or due to some specific reason, almost none of his fans were aware of it. In fact, he didn’t often let that deeper voice come through. However, some people did notice it and have talked about it in the past.
Why Did Michael Jackson Speak in His Higher-Pitched Voice?
There’s never been a clear answer to this question about the King of Pop. The people closest to him at the time, who had the chance to hear his deeper voice, offered varying explanations for it.
According to Jackson’s former doctor, Conrad Murray — who was convicted in connection with his death — his voice was a result of a toxic and abusive childhood with his father. In his book This Is It! The Secret Lives of Dr. Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson, he claims that Joe Jackson forced his son to take hormones from a young age to maintain that tone. (via Newsweek)
Singer and actress Liza Minnelli appeared on Larry King Live in 2002, sharing that she discovered her close friend’s deeper voice by chance. He was on a call with her then-husband, David Gest, which took her by surprise. Minnelli revealed that Jackson often altered the pitch of his voice to shield himself from unwanted public attention.
In an interview, journalist Diane Dimond, who covered the child abuse trial against the singer in 2005, shared that there were times when he consciously chose to change his voice. At the time, she said:
Somewhere in there, especially if you bring him bad news or if you make him mad, his voice gets very, very deep. I was there one day when someone asked him about Gloria Allred, the attorney that has sort of dogged him and turned around in one foul swoop and said ‘She can go to hell’ in this big, deep masculine voice.
TV presenter Piers Morgan also had the chance to hear Jackson’s voice in this different way during a telephone interview. Apparently, the change depended on the seriousness of the subject. Morgan described it as a bit strange, noting that the singer’s voice “dropped several octaves, and he became a completely different person to talk to.”
