Hold My Hand, as told by its songwriter

Hold My Hand leaked onto the internet in 2008. Claude Kelly is the songwriter for this track. That year, he said: "I wrote the song and delivered it to Akon. I thought maybe he was considering it for Whitney Houston and didn’t think it would matter more than that. A few months later, Akon played the song for me and all of a sudden I heard Michael Jackson’s voice. When the song ended, I was literally shaking." He has recently added: "In 2007, I wrote a song with Akon called Hold My Hand (Hold my hand). My good friend and future engineer, Exzit Godchild, worked on it and it turned out amazing. My idol, Michael Jackson, recorded it and fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine. The song was nominated for release. The rest of the story, the world knows. Now it’s 2010, and although it’s both bitter and sweet, I feel respect and pride that Hold My Hand is seeing the light of day. Thank you." Source: eMJey / antimusic.com