Mysterious Appearance of BTS at Michael Jackson’s Former Studio: The Truth Behind the "In Memory of a Legend" Project

There was a storm of rumors recently in K-pop and pop music regarding BTS's possible involvement in a memorial project for Michael Jackson. The hype was ignited by a report from the owner of the Irish studio, Grouse Lodge, where the iconic King of Pop recorded for the last few months of his life, driving his fans worldwide into an uproar. Nevertheless, as it subsequently emerged, the rumors were officially refuted by HYBE. Let's analyze the facts based on what is currently known.

Hype Over the Enigmatic Tribute Project

The unexpected appearance of BTS at Michael Jackson's former studio and the background of the "In Memory of a Legend" project brought fans' interest everywhere in the world. A single sentence, revealed by the owner of Grouse Lodge, where Michael Jackson spent the last months of his creative life, was enough to shock the global music fan community.

The music tribute initiative, last year secretly in production and in honor of unreleased Michael Jackson material, suddenly announced onboard participation from the iconic boy band BTS — at least that was the early word. It was not a cover song but a one-off tribute — an official track to be part of a memorial album that is billed as the King of Pop's last work.

This was not from hearsay or social media but confirmed by Paddy Dunning himself, the proprietor of Ireland's Grouse Lodge, in a chat with The Irish Sun. He categorically stated that last year, a recording was done and that BTS had been invited to Grouse Lodge to record one of these tracks.

That was enough to build a traffic surge on major music news websites. One of the websites that came out with the news of BTS being included in the tribute track for Michael Jackson went down temporarily for a couple of hours. And considering how much Michael Jackson meant to millions of individuals, even if the news reported that his recent song had supposedly been uploaded on Betandplay, tens of thousands of users would have instantly flooded that site too.

Details of the Unreleased Tracks and the Project's History

Public interest in the project grew even further when word came that as many as ten of the songs had been written solely for Michael by fellow artists during his time in Ireland — including Rodney Jerkins, the man responsible for several of Jackson's most iconic hit singles, and rapper Neff-U. All of these are new, unreleased songs, and work on them stopped when Michael left Ireland in late 2006, after five months of staying with his family at Grouse Lodge.

Several believed Michael was to release an album that would mark his triumphant return after a long hiatus from the limelight. But the project never came to completion, and all of the unfinished recordings were carefully preserved after he died in 2009. To this day, these mysterious songs are being called upon for the very first time in a special role — as the essence of Michael Jackson's memorial album, and BTS has been chosen as the first artists to bring them to life.

Michael Jackson's Influence on BTS and Symbolic Legacy

The choice of BTS for the project is not a coincidence. BTS has made it a point, publicly and on numerous occasions, to show immense admiration for Michael Jackson throughout their career. Thus, the group being chosen to help recreate a part of Michael's spirit in what has turned out to be the largest on-record memorial music project is not only an honor but also a symbolic bequeathment.

Paddy Dunning has also assured that Rodney Jerkins and Neff-U are on board with the venture, a fact that attests to the size and seriousness of this tribute album. And according to all accounts, this is not a one-off music project. In an ongoing Michael Jackson documentary film, BTS is also described as part of the new generation that has inherited his creative torch.

One more reason why the fans lose their minds globally is because of Michael Jackson's birthday, August 29, which is today. The finest day to drop new tracks around the world is on that day. The fact that it coincides makes it even more probable that the theory about BTS as the trendsetters in the legendary memorial album is correct.

Official Denial by HYB

Notwithstanding this fact, HYBE, the managing company of BTS, officially denied all the rumors about the participation of the group in the project. HYBE explained in a statement: "BTS has never visited Grouse Lodge studio in Ireland and has never taken part in any recording there. This denial did not take long to reach media houses such as BBC, Korea Herald, and Rolling Stone India to prove that whatever was provided by Paddy Dunning was either distorted or wrong. So the Michael Jackson memorial album can presumably still happen, albeit without BTS. The fans will only need to wait till official messages are received by reliable sources.