New Michael Jackson Album To Be Released In December

Alright, Michael Jackson fans—it’s time to let out a celebratory “EEEEE-Heeeeeee!” Sony announced this afternoon that Michael, the King Of Pop’s long-awaited 11th studio album—and his first since 2001 offering Invincible—will be released on December 14. Ahead of that, the world will get a full listen of new track “Breaking News” on November 8. More details below!

“The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friend’s home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators,” Sony announced in a press release posted online today.

The cover of Michael, pictured above, was painted by artist Kadir Nelson in 2009, the label revealed, while noting, “In the oil painting, Kadir – who is known for story telling through his art – takes us on a journey through some key moments and important people in Michael Jackson’s life.” And what a memorable, crazy, dazzling and often heartbreaking journey it was.

A teaser for the posthumous album is expected to appear on MichaelJackson.com tomorrow, while the song “Breaking News” will stream on the site for a full week, beginning November 8.

This follows news of Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, a Cirque Du Soleil production that will incorporate Jackson’s music and iconic imagery, which is scheduled to begin trekking across North America beginning October 2, 2011.

Wow—suddenly this holiday shopping season just got a lot more interesting for music fans, worldwide.

Alright, so what do you think—will you be picking up a copy of Michael?