EXCLUSIVE: One of World's Biggest Pop Stars Slams Michael Jackson — 'He Was a B------ to Me'
Michael Jackson was accused of 'sabotaging' this singer's career.
Nov. 1 2025, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Sananda Maitreya – the artist formerly known by his superstar name Terence Trent D'Arby – has claimed Michael Jackson deliberately undermined his career at the height of his fame, calling the late King of Pop "a b------ to me," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Speaking ahead of his first UK tour in 23 years, the 63-year-old singer reflected on his meteoric rise in the late 1980s and the fallout that followed.
What's Sananda Maitreya Issue With Michael Jackson?
Sananda Maitreya doesn't have the best memories of the King of Pop.
"The toughest part was maybe they idolized someone who was a c--- to me," Maitreya said.
"It was difficult for me to tell my kids that the same Michael Jackson who is a hero to this part of your youth – I had to deal with that b------. I had to deal with the reality of how, once he became the financial entity that he became, he became far more important in the grand scheme of things than I ever would have become to that situation."
Maitreya, whose debut album Introducing the Hardline According to… sold more than a million copies in its first three days, was hailed in 1987 as the next great pop icon – a blend of Prince, George Michael, and Jackson himself. But the singer says his career was quietly sabotaged by forces beyond his control, with Jackson allegedly leveraging his dominance at Sony to limit competition from his rising label mate.
"I don't have any empirical evidence that I can point to in a court of law and say his fingerprints were all over some of this," he admitted. "But of course, he wasn't very comfortable with me."
'The Spotlight Had to Stay on Michael'
Jackson is accused of 'sabotaging' Maitreya's career.
A former Sony executive who worked during that era claimed: "Michael guarded his position carefully. Sananda was fresh, fearless, and incredibly gifted – perhaps too gifted for comfort. The message from above was clear: the spotlight had to stay on Michael, not on anyone who could rival him."
Others close to Maitreya recall how quickly the industry turned on him after his swaggering public persona drew criticism.
"He paid the price for his ambition," said a longtime associate. "That comment about his debut being the most important album since Sgt. Pepper's was meant as a bit of fun, but it rubbed people the wrong way. Michael didn't take kindly to being the punchline, and once Sananda lost momentum, there wasn't anyone left inside the system willing to defend him."
Jackson May Have 'Saved' Maitreya's Life
Despite this, Maitreya revealed Jackson may have 'saved my life.'
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Despite the bitterness of those years, Maitreya insists he has moved on.
"I have to say this for the record: he didn't owe me a f------ thing," he said. "And quite frankly, it might have turned out that he, in fact, saved my life. Because all of my colleagues who went through this – George, Prince, Michael – they're no longer here. It may very well be possible that I'm still here because of Michael's interference."
But a friend of the singer said even now, the pain lingers beneath his calm demeanor.
"He'll say he's moved past it, but it's still with him," the source claimed. "Michael's presence is woven into his story, and no matter how calm or reflective he seems, that pain never truly went away. It's something he'll carry with him for the rest of his life."
The pop star recently overcame a battle with cancer
The pop star, who now lives in Milan with his wife, Francesca Francone, and their two sons, recently overcame a battle with bladder cancer.
"We are well past remission," he said. "Of course, artists love drama, and we were told that if we had neglected the treatment, we were for sure going to die. My family wasn't ready for me to die. My boys are still too young, my wife is still wonderful, and I just wasn't ready to leave them with that."
Now preparing for his return to British stages, Maitreya says he's focused on new beginnings.
"How do I feel? The person who came 40 years ago came to drop some seeds into the earth," he said. "I feel the same way now. There are seeds I'm bringing now, to re-seed the future."
