Who is the "next Michael"

Psychoniff

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What I mean is, who has the complete package to bee considered "next Michael" MJ.
Please don't tell none of these are anywhere near, but tell me who has the most potential in terms of talent, skill, musicianship, popularity, etc. Break it down like who has the best dance/singing/song-writing skills.

Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Usher
Justin Timberlake
Neyo

Any others please explain.
 
Omg.. Really? You're looking for a ''next Michael''? No one comes near to MJ. He was unique, one of a kind. Some may agree, some may not. Please stop this nonsense topic. We don't have to look for a ''next Michael'' or consider someone ''close to'' Michael. Simply because there will never be someone close to the King. :search:
 
no one probably, but if you are talking about emulating MJ, i'd say Justin has been doing it for a while and Bruno is catching up.

There will never be another MJ because he benefited greatly from the times. Videos were a new medium and it was before the internet. The internet killed the MJ's of the world because there's too much chaos and noise to sift through for content. It's amazing that any artist can become a big worldwide star these days, even if on a smaller scale.
 
I think Jesse McCartney is very talented.

Not so much in dancing perhaps, but he is a fantastic singer, songwriter and actor. He also cited Michael as an influence, especially for his latest album In Technicolor. I think he is very underrated.
 
There will never be another MJ because he benefited greatly from the times.

I don't get that argument. If anything, singers/rappers etc. have it much easier nowadays and if they wanted to, they could still come up with awesome ideas for videos and everythin else. I just don't believe that the argument of "benefitting from the times" really holds up. I think it was ALL Michael Jackson. His vision, his talent, his hard work. The significant change I see, is that today black artists are accepted as mainstream, thanks to Mr. Michael Jackson, whereas he still had to fight to be given the recognition and respect he deserved when he was a young man (MTV, Rolling Stones cover, awards etc.).
 
I don't get that argument. If anything, singers/rappers etc. have it much easier nowadays and if they wanted to, they could still come up with awesome ideas for videos and everythin else. I just don't believe that the argument of "benefitting from the times" really holds up. I think it was ALL Michael Jackson. His vision, his talent, his hard work. The significant change I see, is that today black artists are accepted as mainstream, thanks to Mr. Michael Jackson, whereas he still had to fight to be given the recognition and respect he deserved when he was a young man (MTV, Rolling Stones cover, awards etc.).

Thank you.

How did MJ benefit from his times when it were times when he, as a black artist, still had to fight for MTV to play his videos or Rolling Stone to even give him a cover story (and even then they did not...)? The music video became such a big thing partly because of Michael himself - because of how he started to use that medium. So it's not something he just lucked into. Analogous with that would be some of the current artists taking the Internet and doing something revolutionary with it like that. I am yet to see any such thing. (And don't bring up Beyonce's surprise album drop because that is just marketing, does not have anything to do with the content itself.)

If anything the Internet made it easier to reach world wide audiences. When Thriller came out, half of the world was still behind an Iron Curtain with authorities controlling information that young people could get from the West.

Yes, the Internet kind of killed record sales, but that's just one small aspect of the puzzle. It's called "information age" for a reason - and that reason is that information is flowing much more easily through the world. Nowadays someone puts out a record and the whole world knows about it immediately. Back then it wasn't the case.

There will be no another Michael Jackson and that is because there is simply no one around with the same amount of talent, vision and charisma at the same time. Let's not try to reduce it just to something that he was "lucky with". His peers, such as Madonna or Prince (just to mention those who were the biggest stars at the time), could cook with the same ingredients. Yet, go to streaming services and compare how much their music is being played now compared to Michael's (I actually like Prince, but he does not have the same mass appeal as Michael). So it's not like Michael was great in the 80s just due to circumstances. His music has longevity, it's still popular in the Internet age.

If we want to talk about circumstances then let's talk about how the odds were against Michael transitioning from child star to adult star (usually child stars cannot make that transition and their childhood stardom becomes a liability not a plus - case in point, Donny Osmond). Let's talk about how the odds were against him being a black man, playing black music at the time of white culture and taste dominating the airwaves and MTV and mainstream music magazines. Timberlake instead gets white privilege treatment when he and Janet are involved in the same scandal and Janet is getting sidelined by the industry, but Timberlake can go on and be supported by the same industry unscacthed. And then let's not even get into the increasingly hostile media treatment MJ got from the late 80s and onwards. Most artists would have their career finished with just one tenth of that treatment. So much about the "times" and supposedly lucky circumstances for Michael. He was actually up against odds almost all through his career and he beat them all.

None of the above mentioned people (Timberlake, Mars, Chris Brown etc.) has talent, charisma and originality to the same extent as Michael and that is the first thing that should be mentioned when people want to compare them, not "times" and circumstances. I do not think their music will have the same longevity either.
 
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What I mean is, who has the complete package to bee considered "next Michael" MJ.
Please don't tell none of these are anywhere near, but tell me who has the most potential in terms of talent, skill, musicianship, popularity, etc. Break it down like who has the best dance/singing/song-writing skills.

Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Usher
Justin Timberlake
Neyo


Any others please explain.

In my opinion, the only thing that these names have in common with MJ is that they lived in the same era with him.

There will never be another MJ because he benefited greatly from the times.

The times benefited greatly from MJ.
 
I mean, we're never going to see another MJ. After all there's a very very very short list of artists I would compare him to. There are some artists who might be just as good as writing at him, or even better at singing rangewise but they never really have all of the other creative attributes/talents Michael had. While they certainly exist (and are usually the ones highly regarded/still popular like Michael), it's very rare you find an artist that has 'the complete package' as Michael did, which is what I think especially made him stand out further.

I think the more monoculture like society of the pre-internet age certainly certainly helped artists such as MJ get even bigger once their works got to a certain point of fame.
 
Threads like this are just asking for the "No one will be MJ!!!!!111!!" But I understand the message behind the OP, personally I think maybe Chris Brown? Ne-Yo and Usher are a big no-no as MJ stayed relevant, CB/JT/BM are the three potentials in the post. I personally don't think anyone is quite as popular, but had Chris Brown not struggled with his issues he might be very close to the widespread love etc.
 
Threads like this are just asking for the "No one will be MJ!!!!!111!!" But I understand the message behind the OP, personally I think maybe Chris Brown? Ne-Yo and Usher are a big no-no as MJ stayed relevant, CB/JT/BM are the three potentials in the post. I personally don't think anyone is quite as popular, but had Chris Brown not struggled with his issues he might be very close to the widespread love etc.

Out of your list, Justin Timberlake would be a very good candidate, hell he's actually probably the closest thing. Highly respected and still very relevant over a decade on from the beginning of his solo career. Bruno Mars would be the next runner up but I feel he's still somewhat... new? I mean his first album only came out 4 years ago as opposed to JT's first solo album 13 years ago. Of course, with JT having been in the spotlight more and having successfully retained it, he's also more embedded in modern pop culture I feel.

This isn't to put down what Bruno Mars has achieved as he is still obviously relevant in today's music culture, just not to the extent I feel JT is. You're right about Ne-Yo and Usher though. Neither have displayed longitivtiy. I know people who still like Chris Brown's music but his personal issues got the best of him. I don't ever really see him coming back to that popularity he had but who knows, Robert Downey Jr did it once (although it was more drug orientated for RDJ and it helped he didn't beat one of the most famous female artists of the 21st century to a pulp...)
 
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Threads like this are just asking for the "No one will be MJ!!!!!111!!" But I understand the message behind the OP, personally I think maybe Chris Brown? Ne-Yo and Usher are a big no-no as MJ stayed relevant, CB/JT/BM are the three potentials in the post. I personally don't think anyone is quite as popular, but had Chris Brown not struggled with his issues he might be very close to the widespread love etc.

How so? Chris Brown is a great dancer and that's it basically. He is not a great singer, not a great songwriter and does not have a strong catalog with the potential to have longevity. He does not have anything that could be considered trademark and iconic.

And Michael went through worse things than Chris Brown (and actually Michael went through that while being innocent of what he was accused of) and his music is still popular.

Justin Timberlake is just too calculated and steril for my taste. No soul in music at all. Of course he also does not have Michael-level talents.

Bruno Mars has a certain great aura around him. Though I could never get into his music and voice but he is the most talented one of the above mentioned gentlemen.

I feel like the closest to Michael in talent was one of his peers, Prince. I just do not see nearly that level of talent anywhere in today's pop music.
 
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I mean, people shouldn't take questions like this the wrong way. Obviously no one will ever be "the next Miicheal" in a literal sense, but its worth thinking who comes the closest, or is the best of this generation. And to that I'd say Bruno Mars. Even he in an interview laughed it off when the interviewer asked what he think when people call him "the next MJ", and he said he obviously can never be that, and he hopes to be "the first Bruno Mars". Love that guy.
 
No-one can be the next MJ because he was a unique artist and individual. There's so much more that went into his success besides just great vocals, dance and record sales. Innovation, willingness to push boundaries, to create something new that had never been seen before. His creative approach, which we haven't heard nearly enough of in my opinion.

I remember when Thriller, Billie Jean, Beat It etc.. were released on MTV. That was huge. Nothing like that or him had been seen before. Videos were ok but not a complete film, not telling a story. Everyone was blown away by it. No one danced like him from our generation. We had to go back to our parents artists for that. And he continued on with his later music, trying new and different ways of presenting his vision through his music. He didn't benefit from the times, he created the times. There can never be another MJ as there can never be another Lennon, James Brown, Tina Turner etc... The most anyone can do is emulate them, but they can never be the next whoever....

Great artists will come show up but I think they'll be the ones who bring something unique and different. While I like some of the current artists I just don't see a lot of them being relevant decades from now.
 
There will never be another Michael. Just like there won't be another Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, or Elvis.
 
How so? Chris Brown is a great dancer and that's it basically. He is not a great singer, not a great songwriter and does not have a strong catalog with the potential to have longevity. He does not have anything that could be considered trademark and iconic.

And Michael went through worse things than Chris Brown (and actually Michael went through that while being innocent of what he was accused of) and his music is still popular.

Justin Timberlake is just too calculated and steril for my taste. No soul in music at all. Of course he also does not have Michael-level talents.

Bruno Mars has a certain great aura around him. Though I could never get into his music and voice but he is the most talented one of the above mentioned gentlemen.

I feel like the closest to Michael in talent was one of his peers, Prince. I just do not see nearly that level of talent anywhere in today's pop music.

Subjective, but Chris Brown is very talented. Both vocally and performance wise. He's not actually iconic thinking about it.. Catalogue definitely. Some of his songs from 2005 are still well received and stand out. He is a great writer too, he wrote Rihanna's Disturbia which was a big hit for her. Personal issues ruined it however. JT is probably the closest at the moment, although I thought the 20/20 was very stale and having Timbaland for every song (with every song being super, super long) ruined it. Kanye West actually said it best when he said "everyone wants to be MJ but they shouldn't be copying MJ they should follow his steps of inspiration and originality" (paraphrased)
 
Not being negative but... Check back in about 40 years and see who is relevant. There are some good artist but let's be real.
 
You guys understand that when people say WHOS THE NEXT MJ, they dont mean content-wise. They mean that general broad appeal all over (or mostly) the world with lots of hit pop songs and big stage shows and lavish videos.
 
Who is the Next Michael? May seem like everyone may react. I would have said Who is the Next Michael? I don't know because I can only say MJ is the Next MJ and will always Be MJ
 
I don't think there can be "another Michael" not just because of his own talents but there isn't a need for one right now. In due time, there will be someone who will come forward and blaze new trails, but as some others mentioned - there's just too much saturation of that stuff right now beacuse of the Internet and rise of social media.

It's not just talent, songwriting, or that performance x-factor as it is we have a whole new way of identifying with other artists these days. Most artists these days are people that we identify with; they are peers. Michael wasn't a peer. He was an inspiration, a role model, something to look up to. He was just kicking ass and taking names at everything and it left people in awe, and he always pushed to give them more, way more than they expected. Because he set the bar so high, it's just not likely anyone will find a new avenue or reach that bar any time soon.

That kind of cultural phenomenon does not happen very often. I don't know if it will happen again in our own lifetimes. There is SO much more that influenced Michael's status as an icon than just sheer talent. Too many factors to really put our fingers on it.

It's just not gonna happen anytime soon and I don't know if anyone we're familiar with now will be anyone with that kind of pull.
 
Did no one read the first post?
The question is who is the most artist with the most talent of today. No one asked if there will be another Michael Jackson or someone who will be as good as him :D
 
Usher and Chris Brown are some very good dancers. And Usher is a very talented singer as well. I thought he can't sing without autotune until i saw him singing Gone Too Soon ... what a great singer.
All the others you mentioned are also great singers.
Do they write their own songs? Beside of Neyo? I have no idea, would be interesting to know ;)
 
Did no one read the first post?
The question is who is the most artist with the most talent of today. No one asked if there will be another Michael Jackson or someone who will be as good as him :D


Talent is both subjective and fluid. Seriously, none of the artists mentioned these days really have Michael's talent, because it was, well...Michael's. Example: one of my favorite musicians is the bassist Vic Wooten. The man is insanely gifted. Michael could not do with a bass guitar that Vic does, and I'd never care to see Vic try to moonwalk. When comparing the two, however, Michael still comes out on top because of his type of talent and visionary that most people don't have.

Everyone we've talked about so far in this thread are talented, yes, but nothing really sets them out, and none of them come close. We can talk about this til we're blue in the face but it's just a simple fact that no one is similar to each other.
 
Honestly, no one mentioned in the list provided. They have already ran their course in the music industry and have taken a back seat to the entertainers that rule at this currently place a time. Some examples of this is Usher, the height of his career was Confessions, after that album there was a slow decline in sales. Justin Timberlake has his huge success with the album "Justified" and have moved on toward a more quiet approach in my opinion with his albums. Ne-yo is so much more of a writer in my very opinion than an actual artist, he has amazing music, yet "In my Own Words" was the height and Ne-yos break through yet hes done nothing really groundbreaking in his own works yet has created some very memorable tunes i.e. "Irriplacable by Beyonce", Chris Brown has been on the decline and has been at an all time low socially since the domestic abuse again his Ex, and the major attitude issues he's been displaying since then, I don't feel as though any of the examples above could even remotely meet Michael's caliber. maybe thats a bit harsh but the artist in this list have already had this rise, and didn't manage to crest even the lowest peak of Michael's impact.
 
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