UNITED KINGDOM — Bryan Loren, the producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist behind some of Michael Jackson’s unreleased Dangerous material, has died at 58. His brother Geno confirmed it over the weekend.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Considered a musical prodigy, Loren cut his teeth at Philadelphia’s Alpha International Studios on sessions for Rose Royce, Tavares, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. His 1984 self-titled debut was entirely self-made. “Lollipop Luv” peaked at #23 on the R&B charts. “Do You Really Love Me?” charted for 17 weeks.

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The Legacy of Bryan Loren

Additionally, Loren worked with Sting on “Nothing Like the Sun”, wrote Whitney Houston’s “Feels So Good”, and produced Vesta Williams hits like “Something About You” and “Don’t Blow a Good Thing.” By the late 1980s, Loren was doing what Teddy Riley, another prominent Jackson collaborator, was doing: fusing funk, soul, and digital production into what became New Jack Swing. Riley got the commercial wins and public recognition, but Loren was part of that early wave.

In 1990, Loren won Sony’s Innovator award in Sound. George Benson presented it, saying, “Bryan’s got the power of talent, his imagination will take him far.” His most famous collaboration with Michael Jackson is “Do the Bartman” from The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Loren wrote and produced it. Jackson sang backing vocals but went uncredited because of his Sony deal. The two produced extensive material during the making of Dangerous, Loren being brought on board by Jackson before the album even had its title. Loren’s goal was to help Jackson create an album as consistent as the material on Off the Wall, aiming to steer Jackson away from the prevailing pop sound toward grittier funk and R&B ballads. 

Jackson and Loren’s Collaborative Efforts

Loren would hand Jackson hooks, melodies and tracks, leaving the singer to fill the space with his own lyrics while helping flesh them out over the course of their time together in the studio. He played drums and percussion on the released album. But most of their work remains unreleased in the estate’s vault. Tracks like “Serious Effect”, “Work That Body”, and “Seven Digits” exist only as circulated demos, revealing Jackson experimenting with harder funk grooves and more aggressive production than what ended up on the album. Later, Teddy Riley came in and produced most of Dangerous, but Loren’s influence still runs through it.

In 1992, Loren released “Music from the New World” on Arista Records. Jackson sang backing vocals on “To Satisfy You”, a track he’d passed on during Dangerous but agreed to when Loren kept it for himself. After Jackson’s passing in 2009, Loren expressed his frustration that the unfinished material they had worked on had leaked, feeling it was more a matter of principle, since Jackson and he had not had the chance to realise and finish the tracks. 

Loren’s Legacy

Loren’s death means another primary source lost. Every year, more people who were present during Jackson’s creative process die, taking irreplaceable context about how the work was made and what Jackson intended. Hopefully with the biopic, the estate will realize the importance of releasing material from Jackson’s actual collaborators. As Loren’s brother, Geno, wrote regarding his passing: “My brother was his father’s son… a brilliant musician who lived his life unapologetically. His talent was ELITE, and his character was true… given the gift, and he left his mark on the world.”

A mark that would’ve and should’ve shone brighter in the way it deserved. After all, a constellation isn’t a lone fireball in the night sky, and Jackson himself knew that.

Photo: Brian Loren; Michael Jackson

Author Bio

As a freelance journalist, Ryan Smith’s work is driven by a commitment to restoring what has long been absent from institutions meant to uphold truth and accountability: honesty and transparency

Alongside his analysis works on the life, career, trials and tribulations of Michael Jackson, whose unfair treatment over the years paved the way for the path he is on, Smith also dissects and examines popular culture, such as books, movies and video games, always aiming to shed light on what’s beneath the surface.