Akon/ Michael Jackson Collaboration, 'Hold My Hand,' Leaks

Track might wind up on 'Kon's upcoming third album.

By Jennifer Vineyard

Akon wanted to be starting something with Michael Jackson — and apparently, that something involves holding hands.

A song that the two worked on for Akon's upcoming album has leaked to the Internet, and it's called "Hold My Hand." An earlier version of the track, without Jackson's contributing vocals, leaked in February, just as the pair's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" was officially released as the first single for the re-release of Thriller.

A mid-tempo ballad featuring strings at its beginning, "Hold My Hand" layers the singers' vocals over a drum machine and a twinkling piano melody as the pair trade off lyrics like "We're better off being together than being miserable alone" and "Nothing can come between us if you just hold my hand." Jackson's softer, more lilting vocal lines start the duet, but Akon soon becomes dominant, thanks to his distinctive phrasing.

Akon's label rep said that the singer's as-yet-untitled third album, due later this year, has not been completed, so there's no word on whether "Hold My Hand" will make the cut, and as such, there hasn't been any plan to release the song as a single.

[ Source: MTV.com ]