RJ: Carole Bayer Sager, the writer, called me up and said "I want you to come and write with me and Michael at my house", then later Michael said "I don't want you to go home, I want you to stay and work on my album".
D: Was it a great feeling to know Michael Jackson wants you to work for him?
RJ: Yes, it was an incredible feeling, I felt like if I was working with my mentor. I was a huge fan of Michael since I was a little kid, I followed his career... Everything he's ever done.
D: What would you say about Michael and about working with him?
RJ: He is the best, there's no other artist at his level, and I worked with many, he is great to work with because he knows exactly what he wants
D: You are so young and you have already achieved many of your dreams, is there any other goal you are pursuing, any other artist that would make you feel even prouder than working with Michael Jackson?
RJ: No, Michael is the top, nothing higher after him, but if I believe in any artist I'm gonna work with them...
D: How is Michael different to work with as opposed to the other artists you worked with?
RJ: He is so innovative, he doesn't want the usual stuff that they play on the radio all the time, and he is very hands on. Everything has to be as he wants it.
D: Which is your favorite album of Michael's?
RJ: Off The Wall, and Dangerous, I really liked Dangerous.
D: What did you think about his last one, BOTDF?
RJ: I thought it wasn't his most creative, and it was more like a remix album... This one is gonna be totally different, all new material, a different sound, more songs, more melody... Everyone will be able to accept it but it will be different at the same time.
D: Are there many ballads?
RJ: Well, there are 2 slow ballads with R. Kelly... But right now I'm concentrating on the uptempo's, you know, the stuff that will make people dance...
D: Is the album finished yet?
RJ: Almost, pretty much, probably a couple more months...
D: Michael is working with other producers as well, I heard about David Foster?
RJ: Michael is working with a lot of other people, yes, but I'm hoping that 70% of the album will be the stuff me and my team are working on.
D: How many songs did you work on for this project?
RJ: Close to 30.
D: Is Michael gonna use any special technique on this record, you know how 'electronica' is the big thing now, is Michael gonna use that too? How is this album gonna sound like?
RJ: All I can tell you is that it's a sound you have never heard before in your life. Definitively different from everything else... Definitively something none has heard before. It's gonna be the best album that he's ever made.
D: Why is this album better then?
RJ: I'm working on it! What I mean is that, you know, everybody has a time in their life when they are very hot, a best time creatively, and that's where I am now, if Michael had called me two years ago, I would not have been able to do the same job, I'm at my best, Michael is at his best and together we make art.
D: Is there a specific theme throughout the album? You know, like HIStory was about the pain Michael suffered in those years and against the tabloids, is there a different theme now?
RJ: Michael is happy now, he has his son, and his daughter, he has joy, not like the time when he did HIStory when he went through that pain, now it's positive. The album is gonna be positive. His children changed everything.
D: Have you met them?
RJ: Oh yes, they are very cute, and fun! I play all the time with his son.
D: Are there any songs style HTW or Earth Song dedicated to the children and the environment?
RJ: Yes, there are...
D: No titles?
RJ: Can't give them out yet...
D: What about duets? I just heard there's a rumor about a Lauryn Hill duet?
RJ: Yes, I think that's gonna happen.
D: And with Lisa Marie Presley?
RJ: What about her?
D: A duet?
RJ: I haven't heard about that!
D: Is Teddy Riley working on this project?
RJ: Teddy did not work on this album, no.
D: Would you define this as the most complex project you have worked on?
RJ: Definitively the most complex! Yes, usually it takes me 2-3 days to finish a song, now it's taking me 8 to 10 to 15 days. It's another level, last month I made a song and now I'm still working on it building it up to make it better and better...
D: Does Michael record a demo with his voice and you work on it or you create the song and then present it to him?
RJ: I lay down a track, then I give it to Michael and then we work together and come up with a melody...
D: I have heard about 'I Have This Dream', supposedly the first single, did you work on it?
RJ: No, I didn't work on that one, but it's gonna be incredible, a big big song, he wants to dedicate it to those kids victim of the war...
D: Yeah, Michael is also gonna give some charity concerts this summer, actually in June... Do you think he might sing some of the new songs? Will any be ready by then?
RJ: Yeah, it's possible, it could be...
D: How many hours a day do you record when you are with Michael?
RJ: Sometimes 40 hours straight... Normally 16-18 hours.
D: When is the album gonna be released?
RJ: I think they are planning a Christmas release.
D: Is there a title yet?
RJ: No, not yet...
D: So, is this gonna be Michael's big US come back album? Lately he has especially concentrated on Europe...
RJ: Yes, it's gonna be his US come back, it's true he feels very close to Europe now, but this will be an album that the whole world will want, it will be his biggest record.
D: Do you have a special message to Michael's fans?
RJ: Yes, expect the "unexpectable", this will be the most incredible album he's ever made, you will see!
[ANGEL INTERNATIONAL HARDCORE FAN CLUB, MJIFC]