Michael Jackson’s son, Prince Jackson, is coming to his father’s defense after being questioned about what he made of Rolling Stone recently crowning British singer Harry Styles the new “King of Pop.” The 25-year-old appeared on “Good Morning Britain” on Friday where he was asked to share his thoughts on the title being passed down to the “Watermelon Sugar” hitmaker.
But in his response, Prince, while still being respectful with his answer, said that his dad will always carry the moniker King of Pop and that the title which MJ rightfully earned himself could never be taken away from him. After calling Harry an “incredible artist,” Prince explained, “He’s got his own genre and he’s definitely an amazing artist. But, the “King of Pop” was a moniker that really my dad earned.”
‘I feel my father is the king of pop and will always be the king of pop.’
Prince Jackson responds to Rolling Stones labelling Harry Styles the ‘new King of pop’. pic.twitter.com/NU8rWzVpdJ
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) October 28, 2022
He continued to add that there’s been a huge shift in music where access to popularity and fame wasn’t anywhere near as easily obtainable as it is today, and with countless other social factors that have to be taken into consideration when making such a statement, Prince says Michael will always be the King of Pop. “And it’s not something that you can ever take away,” he said, “because we’ve just evolved so much as a society that those same factors will never be the same.”
“So when you look at the… from where my father started to where he ended, versus where all these other people started to where they ended, it’s just night and day of a difference.”
Prince isn’t the first person who has reacted to recent claims of Harry having taken over Michael’s title following the enormous success he’s had since One Direction disbanded in 2015. Earlier this year, MJ’s nephew, Taj Jackson, spoke on the matter in a tweet that made it very clear he was not endorsing the idea that Harry has overtaken his uncle with regard to being deemed the King of Pop.
I have never in my life heard a single song by “harry styles” but I could name at least 10 Michael Jackson songs and know the lyrics to more than a handful even as someone who wasn’t like a MJ fan. https://t.co/jJ5ol5lHuT
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) August 23, 2022
“There is no new King of Pop. You don’t own the title @RollingStone, and you didn’t earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice. The title has been retired,” he wrote. “No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he’s mega-talented. Give him his own unique title.”
Of course, it should be noted that Harry himself never commented on Rolling Stone calling him the King of Pop, nor has he ever breathed life into the idea that he considers himself worthy of holding the title — particularly since he’s still so early into his solo career.