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What happened to duets in the 2000s?

Mister_Jay_Tee

Mister_Jay_Tee

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Yes, that's right. A whole new Invincible thread in 2024, the excitement!

I was writing this as a comment in the thread About Promoting Invincible. But I decided it warranted it's own discussion.

"The estate seems to think adding a hot superstar is the move so maybe that's the ticket. A duet with Usher or somebody would've been smart."

That got me thinking:

"Why did MJ go at it solo this time?"

Off The Wall featured Patti Austin, Thriller had Paul, Bad had Stevie and Siedah, Dangerous was supposed to be with Madonna, it still has the Princess of Monaco on it if nothing else, HIStory gave us Scream with Janet.

Why no duets for Invincible?


There's a few perhaps ostentatious asterisks that don't quite count. A collab with Lenny Kravitz that didn't quite pan out, an admittedly obnoxious Chris Tucker interlude that basically is a cameo appearance so that might tick the box

And a splashy star laden 30th Anniversary Show that gave us the excess of celeb accumulating.

But no genuine songs. Amongst the most co-contributers on a record perhaps, no duet. Why is that?

An answer if it is known would be appreciated. Various suggestions will undoubtedly follow this tangent, I'm sure.
 
It is because all approached singers thought the material was too weak đź‘»
 
He should have recorded the duet with Whitney and put it on the album.
 
I don't know why Invincible is a duets-free zone but I'm really glad that it is. Loads of ballads. Thank you! No duets. Thank you!

Imo, stylistically, the only song that could have lent itself to a duet is Whatever Happens although it wouldn't make sense from the point of view of the lyrics. I don't see how any of the other songs could work as duets but I also don't care, tbh. I love the album just as it is. It's more interesting to not have a duet. Having one is too predictable, imo.
 
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I think it's more common today in contemporary popular music for there to be rap collabos, and Invincible has that. Even Willie Nelson did some songs with Snoop Dogg. But unlike with Mariah Carey, it doesn't really have any name rappers, other than a recycled Biggie Smalls
 
DuranDuran said:
I think it's more common today in contemporary popular music for there to be rap collabos, and Invincible has that. Even Willie Nelson did some songs with Snoop Dogg. But unlike with Mariah Carey, it doesn't really have any name rappers, other than a recycled Biggie Smalls
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Ohhh, poor Fats...
 
ueli84 said:
Butterflies would have been lovely as a duet with Marsha Ambrosious. (Floetry did release their debut-Album in early 2002. So it would have been Michael introducing an unknown singer, as he did with Siedah Garret in 1987)
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Beyoncé and Alicia Keys would also have been a possibility at that time.
 
Hot_Street said:
He should have recorded the duet with Whitney and put it on the album.
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Perhaps there would be a new label conflict. Michael had previously wanted to do a duet with Whitney back in the Bad days, but it didn’t work out due to competition from CBS and Arista. Arista only became part of Sony in 2004.
 
ueli84 said:
Butterflies would have been lovely as a duet with Marsha Ambrosious. (Floetry did release their debut-Album in early 2002. So it would have been Michael introducing an unknown singer, as he did with Siedah Garret in 1987)
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Before collaborating with Michael, Siedah had a fairly iconic duet hit No. 2 on the RnB charts. So she wasn't completely unknown.
 
Dart_Jack said:
Perhaps there would be a new label conflict. Michael had previously wanted to do a duet with Whitney back in the Bad days, but it didn’t work out due to competition from CBS and Arista. Arista only became part of Sony in 2004.
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According to Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music), Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston did record a duet together called 'Days Of The Broken Hearted' in 2007.

The song is said to have written by Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson appeared to have recorded his vocal parts in Las Vegas (Nevada).

Legacy Recordings was even asking fans (of both artists) to hashtag the song in order to get an official release at that time.
 
mj_frenzy said:
According to Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music), Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston did record a duet together called 'Days Of The Broken Hearted' in 2007.

The song is said to have written by Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson appeared to have recorded his vocal parts in Las Vegas (Nevada).

Legacy Recordings was even asking fans (of both artists) to hashtag the song in order to get an official release at that time.
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Then Michael and Whitney were already on the same label and it was quite possible. But in the time of the Invincible there is no.

If you compare the situation with Jermaine, it was easier for him because he was on the same label with Whitney, so there were no obstacles to their cooperation. Besides, no one really knew her then.
 
A duet with Usher was specifically what came to my mind. The idea of them collaborating makes sense, especially since Usher popped out at the 2001 Shows to great success. He could've been in the YRMW video, as a rival dancer.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
A duet with Usher was specifically what came to my mind. The idea of them collaborating makes sense, especially since Usher popped out at the 2001 Shows to great success. He could've been in the YRMW video, as a rival dancer.
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In 2001 he would have easily outshone Michael as a dancer. You don’t make an unfit drugged up dancer square off against a guy in his prime
 
I think that WMCIG would have been ideal as a duet for Invincible and of course as a single.
 
I can hear Usher on Heartbreaker and You Rock My World, Brandy on Butterflies and Heaven Can Wait and Babyface on You Are My Life
 
Victorious said:
You don't have to like it to think it's interesting..
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His live voice was better in 2001 than it was in the average concert at 96 and 97. His album voice was not markedly different from HIStory either. This Time Around and Unbreakable could've came out the same year.

I'm getting tired of the people insisting what came later is worse, it's different. And that's the point. 70s and 80s Michael ain't what was gonna work in the world of Hip-Hop. If you don't like hip hop, that's a you problem.

I can at most say that Dangerous was perhaps the peak or at least an interesting early direction that would've been nice to see continue. If only it was exactly possible..
 
I don't like Hip hop?..lol you have no idea

I am talking about his voice not the style: I think his voice on Invincible was harsh, slurry, nasal and his delivery was monotonous, uninspired and lacking stamina. I can think of hundreds of reasons for it and most of em aren't his fault but it's just hallucinant seeing people deny it..

And yes his voice was already bad during the History Tour, can't disagree on that :)
 
Some of those points are general points, not for any one person.

Even if that's the case, about him sounding unhealthy, well, Lil Wayne sounds straight drunk all the time and people enjoy that. That was literally just how he talked at that point.
 
Hot_Street said:
Are we talking about the album that has Whatever Happens?
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Whatever Happens is a decent song but I wouldn't call the vocal take inspiring in comparison to his former work and his voice sounded harsh, also he couldn't pronounce the 'W' anymore because of the surgery. Like it or not, to me it became unpleasant to listen to
 
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