Access’ Exclusive Visit With Michael Jackson

Billy Bush: “ This is really kind of an exploratory mission, you deciding to get back into making music?”

Michael Jackson: “I never stopped? I’m always writing a potpourri of music.”

After journeying over 5,000 miles to a classic old Irish estate outside of Dublin, Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush found Michael Jackson relaxed and ready to return to the music world. And this is no run-of the–mill manor, the stone estate is built to rock, with a state-of-the-art recording studio. But Michael chose the property because of the beauty of the Emerald landscape that surrounds it.

MJ tells Billy that he loves to exercise, walk, and go horseback riding on the grounds, and in the mornings he wakes up early to make porridge for his kids. And all the ingredients, oatmeal and fruits, are grown organically on the premises!

The man known as the PT Barnum of the recording industry is dialing it back to the roots. And in his search for fresh sounds he found what he was looking for in Black Eyed Peas’ leader, Will.I.Am. Will, of course, can’t believe his own luck:

Billy: “Will, you were telling me earlier, you got a phone call on the tour bus, right? Someone said Mike’s on the phone.”

Will: “I was like no, come on, stop playing around. I didn’t know. Thought somebody was joking? this is like a dream come true for me.”

When prompted by Billy, Michael was candid about his choice of partner: “I think he’s doing wonderful, innovative, positive, great music… I thought it would be interesting to collaborate or just see how the chemistry works, be wonderful.”

And from the sound of it, it seems that Will is bringing something new to the table while keeping the classic Michael sound intact. If Michael likes what he hears, he adds his own musical touches, but for now the two work the board, weaving out a tapestry – layer by layer.

Surprisingly enough, Michael is actually tech savvy and knows his way around a recording studio. And as the couple works through sounds, MJ shares that he’s really impressed by Will’s music. He finds that Will’s beats are infectious. An enthusiastic Michael couldn’t contain himself: “I like that breakdown,” he says as he laughs and dances about.