"Letter in the Sky" is a song recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai featuring American pop band

The Jacksons The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

. Originally released digitally on October 19, 2011, by

EMI Music Japan , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...

, it was released physically on December 14, 2011, alongside "

Happiness Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...

" as an

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

. "Letter in the Sky" served as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from Ai's ninth studio album, ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

'' (2012).

Background

In April 2011, Ai presented a music documentary, ''Ai Miss Michael Jackson: King of Pop no Kiseki'', that was recorded for ''Music On! TV''. In the documentary, she traveled to the United States and interviewed members of the

Jackson family The Jackson family is an American family of musicians and entertainers from Gary, Indiana. Many of the children of Joseph Walter (or Joe) and Katherine Esther Jackson were successful musicians, notably the brothers that formed the Motown boy ...

in their home. Ai left

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

and signed a global publishing deal with

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

to release her music worldwide in June 2011. Signing to

, she started to work on her ninth studio album. In October 2011, "Letter in the Sky" was announced as Ai's first single under EMI Music Japan. Originally released digitally on October 19, 2011, a physical copy was announced to be released in December.

Release

"Letter in the Sky" served as the theme song for the ''Michael Jackson Tribute: Live in Tokyo'' concert that took place December 13 and 14th, 2011 at

Yoyogi National Stadium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and ...

Music video

A music video was released on October 19, 2011. Various clips from the recording session of "Letter in the Sky" are used in the video.

Track listing

Charts

Credit and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * Ai Uemura – vocals, songwriter, producer *

Jackie Jackson Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951) is an American singer best known as a founding member of the Jackson 5, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Jackson is the second child of the Jackson family, a ...

– vocals *

Marlon Jackson Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American entertainer, singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity wor ...

– vocals *

Tito Jackson Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953) is an American musician. He is an original member of the Jackson 5 (later known as The Jacksons), who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown label, and later had continued ...

– vocals * Curtis Jenkins – songwriter * Danny Lashine – songwriter * King David "The Future" – producer, songwriter, programming * Jesse Josefsson – guitar * Dan Manzoor – bass (vocal)

References

{{Authority control 2011 singles 2011 songs Ai (singer) songs The Jackson 5 songs EMI Music Japan singles Songs about Michael Jackson Songs written by Ai (singer) Song recordings produced by Ai (singer)