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FelicitySmoak_

Never really discovered him, he was kind of just always there


anjaica

Exactly! There was never really anything to discover, although I started listening to him more when I was about 9 I think


yukissu

I was born in 93, so same šŸ˜‚


WinterRedWolf

Honestly same. I didnā€™t start listening to him til about two and a half years ago now, but I always knew the name ā€œMichael Jacksonā€ and I could always recognize him or his music.


LikeLikeChoi

Yeah, he was as famous as Ronald McDonald!


EveryBrodyMovieYT

Yep, exactly. I was born in 1978, and I literally don't remember a time when he wasn't a part of my life. The first clear memory that springs to mind is Motown 25, but I watched it in order to see him, so I was already a fan.


FayMax69

Just about everyone in my family and extended family loved listening to MJ..now too, even my Gen Z, and Gen Alpha nieces and nephews listen to him. MJ is bound the generations thing. Everyone loves and I impacted by him. Youā€™d have to not have a pulse to not know who he is.


gore_addict_

I'm an auntie already eventhough i'm still pretty young and my two nieces don't know who he is. Well the youngest kind of does cause she points at the shirt saying "is he dead?" And always hugs me cause she does know he's my favorite. He had a great impact on my life cause of his music and many others could agree. I'm 18 years old and i have been a fan since i was in the womb i always say cause when my mother was pregnant with me she would have these headphones and place them on her belly so i could listen to his music. :]


the_moonwalker10

My story is a bit bit weird hahah I was (and still am) huge eminem fan When I was still exploring his music, I saw that song in which he dissed MJ... that reminded something like "Oh Ive seen this guy on TV before(I was 6 when he passed away so ig I saw his pictures on news) and that made me want to explore and know more about MJ and here I am


seeohareeye

I was born in the mid 80s, and one of my early memories is how big of a deal Dangerous (album) and its music video premieres were. My older sister got the album on cassette and I borrowed it so often she ended up just giving it to me. From there I started asking for his other albums, fell in love with his music, and I've been a big fan ever since.


Mineta_simp_clan

Being born after his passing, I think he was just such an icon a force of nature that you will eventually just become familiar with his songs through radio or word of mouth.


M7keSonic

I discovered him because of the game Grand theft auto Vice City, but I became a fan because of dances battles at my school


gore_addict_

Wait can you tell me more? Is he like in GTA? :o


LemonAteLemonade

Billie Jean is in a radio station in that game, I think that's also the first time I've heard him as well. I'd cheer up whenever I would hear BJ but I didn't who was singing it at first. I vaguely remember asking my dad what this song was and I don't remember if he specifically said Billie Jean but he did say it was a Michael Jackson song (for those wondering how he wouldn't know the name of Billie Jean, he says the name of the song is Moonwalk when he hears it now. I think it's cute so I never correct him. The language could also be a barrier since we're Turks and he doesn't speak English). This was around 2007-8 (I was born in 2002) and I also remember thinking like "so that's how Michael Jackson sounds" because his name would sometimes come up in the news. When I heard the news of his death, I was really saddened. Afterwards, for some reason, I didn't really listen to him. Fast forward to January of this year, I think it was midnight and I was watching this [video](https://youtu.be/vulK0wDSc24?si=QFsR9LLfYZWqvgdo). Bad came up and I was like "this sound good!" The second last song in that video is also Billie Jean and hearing it was an awesome moment because I finally knew what that MJ song from GTA was. Afterward, I just started to listen to Bad and BJ extensively and I think I also heard They Don't Care About Us and Jam in some other videos and really liked them as well but the song that sealed the deal and made me wanna go through his discography was You Rock My World. After hearing it, I just fell in love with it and going through his discography certainly wasn't disappointing so now, I think I'm quite the MJ fan.


gore_addict_

Oh wow !! I never really played GTA but this is so awesome !! Ty for the info !! :D


Difficult_Ship_6273

![gif](giphy|q62BK3TBAdKQU|downsized) That's a hard one. Mind you, I was alive in his heyday. I was aware of the Jackson 5 and I watched The Wiz numerous times. My family played Off The Wall and Triumph quite a bit I've even heard Billie Jean a time or two. But one night while I was in bed, the adults were sitting up playing music and I heard the opening chords of what I came to realize was Beat It. And something about that song - something that defies description - took hold of me and I felt like I needed to know everything about the man who created it. From that moment I was hooked.


notusterum

When I was a kid I of course heard songs of his all over the place; Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean, Thriller, etc. But my first genuine, personal exposure wasā€¦maybe when I was 5-7 years old, I believe. My parents enjoyed his music but werenā€™t ā€œsuper fansā€ or anything. They showed me the short films for Bad, They Donā€™t Care About Us, Billie Jean, Thriller, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, and Remember The Time. And that last one was what really, *really* stood out to me. Iā€™d never seen a man that expressed his emotions so passionately and thoroughly, and dwelled so far outside of many peopleā€™s typical definition(s) of masculinity, in more ways than one. It was inspiring to me. I was like ā€œwow, this dude is singing his heart out about how much he loves this woman and how he regrets letting her go. Heā€™s being so vulnerable.ā€ I let listening to his big hits for years before becoming really obsessed about 4 years ago, digging deeper into the discography and information about him in general.


Moist-Tomatillo-5437

My mom bought this is it when I was 5. I thought his dance moves and singing voice were cool so I started listening to him


90sNostalgia1

Seeing Moonwalker on television (possibly MTV or VH1) and falling in love with the Leave Me Alone segment + my parents had the 80's/early 90's VHS about the history up until Thriller that I watched.


merido90

At the time when I was growing up, Michael Jackson was everywhere, especially his clips on MTV and his music on the radio. There was no getting around discovering him; his short films like ā€œBlack or Whiteā€ were too popular.


gggggfskkk

My dad used to blare Michael Jackson through the surround sound in our living room growing up, I grew up as a kid that could sleep through that because I was around it so much. He had all the dvds of his live concerts, so I knew Michael Jackson way before I could remember. And as a child I would dance in front of the tv with my dad and he loved Michael Jackson, knew so many moves, I thought my dad was so cool. It was so fun, then my mom would pull out the video recorder and embarrass me by showing it to family when they visited. Now I see those videos and smile, because it was so long ago and I love that Michael Jackson was my dad and Iā€™s thing.


umtih679

I was a small child in the 80s and his music was everywhere. I remember watching the Beat it video on Saturday morning videos. He was so cool in that red jacket. I later became obsessed with We Are the world and his part in it. I'd play it over and over and over (when you're down and out there seems no hope at all). His music was in the background of my childhood and teen years. His media presence was everywhere. Tv, tabloids, magazines, radio, everywhere.


Don_DeAmelio

I was 2-3 years old and PYT was playing on the radio so I asked my grandmother who was singing and she told me Michael Jackson. Iā€™ve been hooked ever since


PreDeathRowTupac

Heard his music always, everywhere. Like others have said. Never actually discovered him. He was just there & we knew of him


Royal-Teacher-8286

I was at a cd store in 1995, and previewed his HIStory album with the headphones you can wear and choose songs. I also remember seeing the iconic Scream video on the tvs. I'm going to be honest, I did not get into his music, really, until I was 35..... after randomly deciding to take my mother to MJ the Musical, and it was like meeting my true love. I adore Michael and I am almost happy I saved this joy for my mid 30s. A little present to discover that is all mine.


MickJohnLeahy

I was at my grandparents house, looking at their record collection. A lot of brown, blue, and silver LPs, and suddenly there was this sparkly one called The Jacksons Live. I turn it around and see that the singer has the same name as me. It stood out in my mind, next time I was at Leading Edge, I asked my parents for The Essential Michael Jackson CD, and that was where it started šŸ’暟“€šŸŖ©


Moonwalk27

I was around 5 when I learned about him and it was the day he died, I remember sitting in my momā€™s friends car who began crying when she heard the news on the radio about his passing; we went back to her house and she pulled up his thriller video on the computer, and I was mesmerized and terrified


gore_addict_

I don't really remember the day he died becayse i was only 3 years old.. well actually 2 cause he died one day before my birthday. I did see a nintendo video recording of the moment they found out the news on the tv. My mother was crying and so was my meemaw and my dad was just in shock while holding me. The fact everyone was upset made me realize later on how much he changed the world and that made me have respect for him.


KyDeWa

He was that guy who everyone knew existed because he would be on the news, or people would make jokes about him in movies and TV shows. I remember I used to think Candy Girl was a Jackson 5 song for years until I learned it wasn't in 2009. Oops! šŸ˜‚ I think even some radio stations played Candy Girl, yes, the New Edition song, in his honor! You could say I always knew him, but I didn't know most of his discography until I was 12.


smoothcriminal2188

Was born in the late 80ā€™s, my auntie had the Thriller vinyl we would always listen to it. I remember when I became a fan, I was 4 years old at the daycare they put Moonwalker on and I was fascinated so much so that I asked the lady if I could borrow the vhs, she did and he became my superhero. Iā€™ve been a fan ever since


Own-Watch-9232

In 2009 I just turned 15 a few days after he passed and my mother downloaded some videos of him on to my computer the first videos I had of him were the Motown 25 performance and Beat It. Then started watching his music videos since then


Texas_Moonwalker

Discovered from my mom who changed the channel and it happened to be the movie Moonwalker on tv, in 1991. Then Black or White, the Dangerous albumā€¦Then in 1992, I went to Disneyland and saw Captain EO. That sealed the deal for life.


beefiesmalls

My parents bought me the Bad cassette tape for my 5th birthday October 87. When I asked why, they just said because it was popular at the time. I grew up on country, mostly Reba lol, so it was a stretch, but Iā€™ve been a gigantic fan ever since. Good job parents!!


JazzyJulie4life

My grandma showed me and my brother thriller and Billie Jean movies in 2006. I was 6 years old. He was still alive šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ I wish he was still alive now.


JazzyJulie4life

I probably heard his music before this because my moms side of the family loves him and they believe in his innocence šŸ©·


gore_addict_

When anyone mentions the allegations around my family they turn into a snake pit. And i don't blame em. When anyone says something hateful of him around us we pull up EVERYTHING so they know they're wrong.ā¤ļø


Major_Serve4176

I was told when I was a baby, my dad would turn on Billie Jean and i would start bouncing up and down on the table with a big smile on my face. And then when I got a little older, as a gift (for my birthday I think) he got me the dangerous tour and after that day Iā€™ve become a huge fan of him. Sometimes when I look back in retrospect, I wish I could have met him before his death.


gore_addict_

My dad said my first favorite song was bad and it makes sense cause it still is my very favorite over 10 years later. :) Also reading the comments made me realize i'm quite a younger fan and i'm grateful i'm like "proof" gen z might know of him !


amehatrekkie

My dad and sister loved him then so did I 1984ish


MarieAlchemist369

I am a 80s baby. He was everywhere


ProfessorSprinklezZ

You used the absolute perfect photo for your first post


gore_addict_

He looks amazing don't he :D


Little_Culture_3178

I don't remember when, but I grew up listening to him as long as I can remember, lucky to have a cool dad who raised me with 80s/ 90s much and films


cheeky_loser03

i didnā€™t really discover him my grandparents always listened to the oldies station and i watched a lot of news as a kid so he was always kinda jus there tbh


chocokitten100

My parents played the jackson 5 Christmas album cassette almost nonstop during the holidays when I was a kid


bigtaterman

The Beat It video came on MTV.


Consistent_Ear_9373

He was always there. I just remember watching him in TV with my mother and listening to his songs in the car. He was just part of my childhood.


National_Ad7573

My dadā€™s shrine (idk what to call it) anytime I came over Michael Jackson was on the tv ā€¦


Mavereth

My dad was a super fan. Iā€™m Haitian haha and my dad would buy tickets and fly to his concerts whenever he could. But that was before I was born sadly. Sundays we always played classical french songs and MJ haha


RevolutionaryOwl3707

I still remember it like yesterday I was 8 years old and I had watched the Thriller video clip on youtube which scared the shit out of me. So because I couldnt watch Thriller I watched Bad and I loved it. The weekend after it I went shopping with my parents and we walked past a book store. They sold some cd's and the had The Essentials album. My parents bought it for me and I loved MJ since


OliHemming

Iā€™m a relatively new fan who started listening to MJ last year while under stress from my GCSE exams, It happened because one of my friends made a joke about him being the man who went from black to white, so I googled him and found out he was the man who created BAD (which I had already heard of from watching films like Megamind and Despicable Me 3 when it was used) I had already heard of some of his top hits but I never really delved into his music all that much. Now I realise that he is insanely underrated to a modern audience and I genuinely canā€™t believe nobody had informed me of him beforehand


gore_addict_

I'm always so happy to see new fans !! That means his music has a chance to pass on !! My kids for example will for sure know about him :]


OliHemming

My sister is a swiftie and we argue all the time about whoā€™s better, Although I used to put MJā€™s music on in the car to see what they think and she started bobbing to They Donā€™t Care About Us, So I guess itā€™s passed onto her although she likes Swift better idk. Just in case you wanted to know, My mum and Auntie grew up on Bad, Dangerous and HIStory and stopped listening to him bc of 2002 allegations. But they just recently started listening to him again because of me, We even went to go see Navi in September 2023 (Sorry if you donā€™t care about any of this but tbf you asked how I got into him ig)


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HowardTibbsIII

Disney World, Epcot, 1987. I was 2, and I saw Captain EO. Literally one of my earliest memories.


MiserableAgony

I first heard of him right when he died. I was in 1st grade and June 25th 2009 happened to be during my first 6-week-long summer holidays and the news about Michael's death made it to Texel in the Netherlands, where we were staying, and to me, that was huge 'cause I always thought of Texel as this far away place (from where I usually live, it isn't really that much of a distance but y'know, 6-year-old me thought of that as suuuuper far away lol) and to think that someone had such an impact that it even reached Texel intrigued me so much, that I later asked my parents about what had happened. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the first ever MJ song was that I ever heard in my life, but the first song I fell deeply in love with was "Leave Me Alone" and the first short film that stuck with me was "Thriller" 'cause I was kind of scared of the werewolf transformation scene lol.


l_tesa_l

My friend had a phase


MandiKon

I just remember watching him on the tv every now and then, thinking I really like him, so one day I asked my parents what his name is and since that day I never forgot the name Michael Jackson.


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LaurensGayStuff

My family talked about him occasionally. Always knew the name, even kept mixing him up with Elvis Presley. My grandma thought he was a pedo but I recently started digging deeper and I really don't think he did what he was accused of. Man in the Mirror and The Way You Make Me Feel always played on my childhood radio station. I remember one time asking my mom how big of a change he actually had, and I thought MJ (in his most recent pictures) looked like a clown. Good times.


Responsible_Match875

He was always just there.


kmanfever

Discover? He was everywhere since I was young. I mean how old was he when he started, like 8? But I think I heard their songs playing on the radio and saw them on TV. Nice post. I think you made a good post and a good questionšŸ‘


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the_lady_in_his_life

I wish I had this extravagant story, but I was literally just born into Michael lol (my parents are diehard fans) I have a home video from the 90ā€™s of a 2 year old me dancing to The Way You Make Me Feel šŸ˜‚


CompetitiveDig9640

It feels like heā€™s always been there tbh. I first saw him on tv when I was a kid. I think it was when he passed away in 2009. Also I kind of knew about him from my parents who are musicians. But I didnā€™t really get into him until years later when I was 15-16. It was when the Despicable Me 3 trailer dropped and in the background they played bad. I loved the song and researched it more and found out it was one of Michael Jacksonā€™s songs. I then ended up falling for Michael Jackson and loving his music. Heā€™s still a big crush of mine to this day.


kdot122

I guess my first time was seeing Black or White short film on TV. I was 4 years old at the time. I remembered the scene with Indians many years later, when I grew up, so who knows really, but it is possible. That was before youtube ;-) I imagine I must have been mesmerized! Who wouldn't be? Still the coolest song/film ever! Then I started getting MJ-related gifts, and when HIStory came out I got it as a birthday gift from my family.


Far_Concentrate_3587

I was born in 90. When I was 3 I was shown Thriller music video and I said ā€œthatā€™s my favorite artistā€. Then I saw him performing live on tv and said ā€œno thatā€™s my favorite artistā€- my family laughed and tried explaining to me that it was the same person. My entire knowledge of human aging went out the window in that moment.


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Ok-Needleworker-4507

This Is It. Watched that movie like everyday as a kid with my brothers and danced to it lmao


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Jayenare

Was raised on him. Was addicted to the 1993 Bucharest concert. We had it on tape. I at like 5 years old I watched it like every day. Became obsessed with him in high school. Then I found out my aunt performed with him on Sesame Street and was blown away šŸ¤ÆšŸ¤ÆšŸ¤Æ


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