3 July 2003 - Michael Talks About His New Album
"We’re working on an album. I’ve brought in new managers, new legal counsel, new advisors—fresh blood, fresh ideas, you know... This time I want to get it right. I think I was starting to lose my realism. I brought in Koppelman because I needed an honest person. The first thing he told me was, "A lot of things have to change. Otherwise, I don’t even want to see you anymore." That’s exactly what I wanted. We’re going to work together, like a team. He told me, "A lot of people, when they hear your name, they don’t think of a great artist anymore—they just focus on the negative points, the tabloid nonsense, the lies—all the lies." I want to change that. I’m a hundred percent excited about the album. I’m in a position in my life where I’ve seen the highest highs—I’ve been there, I know what it’s like. I’m happy that other people are experiencing it now, too. I just want to make music that I enjoy."
When they asked him about the album’s release date, he said: "It’s almost finished, but it needs timing—the pre-release steps, you know, there’s a lot that has to be sorted out. I want to make sure that this time everything comes out right. I feel like I still have so much more to offer, and I want to prove that to everyone."