Miguel has racked up some major songwriting credits over the years, but he says he almost had the chance to add Michael Jackson to that list.
During a recent episode of Club Shay Shay, the CAOS singer was asked about one of his biggest hits, “Sure Thing,” and whether the rumors were true that the song was originally offered to Usher.
Miguel confirmed that he sent the track to Usher’s team, admitting he was a “starving artist” at the time.
“I was an unknown, obscure, grew up here in Inglewood and San Pedro and didn’t have connections like that,” Miguel told host Shannon Sharpe around the nine-minute mark. “So, it was a song that I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m willing to give it up if it’s going to mean getting to the next level.’”
But Usher ultimately passed on the record, even though he “liked it.” “It didn’t really make sense with everything else they were doing. And so he never really cut it, but it worked out,” Miguel said. “Sure Thing” later ended up on his 2010 debut album, All I Want Is You.
Sharpe then asked if Miguel ever met the King of Pop. While he said he hadn’t, he revealed that mutual friends told him Michael Jackson was also interested in “Sure Thing.” “I can’t really confirm that. That’s what I was told. It could have just been hearsay, but that would have been crazy,” he said.
Miguel added that having MJ cut the song would have been “amazing” and a “dream.” Elsewhere in the interview, he looked back on writing Beyoncé’s deep cut “Rocket,” explaining that he was inspired to craft sexually “exciting” lyrics for the 2013 track.
