New Michael Jackson Album 'Xscape' to Be Released in May

The King of Pop lives on. Five years after his death, Epic Records, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will release the posthumous album Xscape.

L.A. Reid has teamed with today’s top producers to “contemporize” songs from Jackson’s archive. The project features eight new tracks, which the world will be hearing for the very first time.

Timbaland serves as the album’s lead producer, with additional production from Stargate, Jerome “Jroc” Harmon, John McClain, and Rodney Jerkins, who “contemporized” the title track with Jackson in the studio.

“Modern music and artistry would look and sound completely different if not for the groundbreaking contributions Michael Jackson gifted to the world,” said Epic chairman L.A. Reid. “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. We are extremely proud and honored to present this music to the world.”

In August, Timbaland announced plans for the album, and recently leaked a snippet of a song called “Slave to the Rhythm.”

Xscape will also be available as a deluxe edition, which includes all of the sourced recordings in their original form.

Pre-orders begin April 1 on iTunes, while the full album arrives on May 13.