Demand for content from Michael Jackson is just as high as ever, and a recent theft proves it. A laptop and hard drive containing unreleased music, demos, and videos from the King of Pop was taken from one of Jackson’s studio engineers, and the content has already shown up online.
Brad Sundberg worked as a studio engineer for 18 years alongside Jackson. Their working partnership began in 1985, when they collaborated on Captain EO, a short 3D film Jackson made for Disney’s theme parks.
Sundberg’s Relationship With Jackson
Sundberg helped create iconic albums like Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, and Blood on the Dance Floor. He also worked on remixes and edits for various singles, videos, and touring content. He even designed and installed the music and video systems that were scattered throughout Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
At Sundberg’s “In the Studio with MJ” seminars, he takes fans behind the scenes of some of the singer’s biggest hits, sharing unreleased songs and outtakes from videos and recording sessions.
How The Laptop Was Taken
At a recent seminar in Brussels, Belgium, Sundberg left the laptop and hard drive containing this content unattended. One of the seminar’s attendees entered the room and made off with the equipment, allegedly escaping through a window and over the roof.
According to Sundberg, they already know the identity of the thief, and he is working with local police to recover the laptop and hard drive. “We’re doing all we can to bring this to a solution,” he said in an Instagram video. “It’s just frustrating when … something like this happens. We turned our backs for a few seconds and the computer and hard drive were gone.”
The studio engineer shared that, in addition to the content he shares with seminar attendees, there are more unreleased videos and songs on the computer, as well as his personal photos, documents, and other materials. Sundberg did share that all the content from the laptop and hard drive was backed up, so his seminars will continue taking place.
In the video, Sundberg admitted he was unsure what the thief might do with the laptop and hard drive, hypothesizing that it might be sold off. However, it looks like their main goal was releasing the content from the hard drive.
Content From The Laptop Has Already Been Leaked
Tracks and videos allegedly from Sundberg’s computer have been posted to YouTube and TikTok and have already racked up thousands of views. It’s unknown if the thief posted all the unreleased Jackson material or if there’s any songs and videos they held back.
Sundberg called the theft and release of Jackson’s content “a complete violation of my personal data” and asked fans to report any posts of the stolen material on social media, as it was illegally obtained and uploaded.
“I, along with my family and friends, greatly appreciate your prayers, love, friendship, and support as we deal with this challenging situation head-on,” Sundberg told his Instagram followers.
Jackson was one of the biggest stars of the ‘80s, and his death in 2009 shortly before a series of comeback concerts was tragic. This theft shows just how far some Jackson fans will go for a few more new songs from the pop star.