Michael Jackson's son Prince reveals he's keen to 'expand the King Of Pop's legacy and claims he still hears his late father's voice 11 years on'
Michael Jackson's son Prince Jackson appeared on This Morning on Friday and said that he's proud to carry his late father's name.*Despite losing his father 11 years ago, Prince, 23, admitted that he still misses him greatly, but claimed he still hears his father's voice.*On having one of the most famous fathers in the world, Prince agreed that there are expectations when people meet him.*He said: 'I am very proud to share the same name as my father, but sharing such a powerful name you are correct, there is…'I don’t want to say pressure, but there is this legacy that my father worked very hard to build and to maintain and I feel that it's my position really in my life and everything that I’ve been given; I just want to expand that legacy.' He added: 'I feel that the older I get the more I get to unpack the wisdom that he left and all the experiences that he imparted on us.'And when I see them through a more mature perspective, I’m just extremely grateful to have the life experiences with him that I did and the knowledge that he imparted on me.*'Every year I’m more appreciative of that and I miss him ever greater because that’s… that’s my father.'And talking about the advice and wisdom that he remembers from his father, Prince said, 'He wanted us to be the best at whatever it is that we did.
'It was a form of motivation and inspiration, that no matter what you do or how confident you feel, or how well you did something, my father would always say, "that’s great, but what’s next? How can we make it bigger or better?"'Or "What are you doing to learn from this experience and apply to improve the next one?".*
'So whatever I do, whether that’s charity work, or my music video production, it’s always figuring out how what I did the last time was alright, but how can I make it better or the best, and it's always going to be like that. If one year was fantastic, the next year needs to be incredible.'Prince was asked if he’s ever faced criticism over his father or ever had to defend him - Michael has been accused of child sex abuse before and after his passing, but that was not directly referred to during the interview.Prince said: 'My father’s fans have been very supportive of us, for me, I’ve been very focused on [this project].'
Talking about his siblings, Paris, 22 and Blanket, 18, Prince said they are so close, they are almost telepathic.*
He said: 'We are very close, and that unconventional upbringing only really tightened our bond as siblings. The way we grew up and interact with each other, there is an unspoken bond.*'We can almost read each other's thoughts or body language! I try to speak with my family all the time - they give me life.*
'My sister Paris is really focused on her career in music and I’m so proud of her and the strides that she’s making.
'And every time I have a conversation with my brother [Blanket] he impresses me with how intelligent he is, the way his words his sentences, his thought process.*'Whilst we don’t always talk about our unique childhood, we always talk about how we can work together and how we can help each other or collaborate and push each other up and make each other better.'When asked if he is musical, Prince laughed. He said: 'No, unfortunately not at all! But yes, I’ve just produced her [Paris] first music video.*
'I’m very proud of her, that was such an experience to work with my sister. It was a gruelling four days - inspired by my father’s cinematic theme and long form music videos.*'It was such a learning experience and I was so proud to see my sister's art come to life and amazed that I could be a part of that.'
Ruth Langsford asked: 'So if your sister got the singing talent, did you get your father’s dancing talent?'
Laughing, Prince replied: 'Not at all! I love the business and the background side of things.'*
Prince said of his father: 'I’d like to think he’d be very proud of the milestones we’ve all made, individually and collectively as siblings.*
'At the same time he was always pushing us to be better and to do better in all aspects of life so I can always hear him in the back of my head saying "what’s next?" or "how can you do that better?" so I think he’d be proud but I think he’d want us to be focused on what’s the next steps in our lives.'*Of his new project Heal Los Angeles, Prince explained, 'It was a project that I started with a friend after I graduated and it's obviously inspired by my father’s Heal The World Foundation.*
'We figured that this is my own path that I’m trying to make for myself here. As well as expanding on my father’s legacy of philanthropy, and I figured one of the best ways that I could make a difference in the city that I care about and that city that I’m from...I feel such a sense of connection to the people here.*
When asked if these people realise who is behind the project, Prince said, 'It goes without saying that my father's name and his reputation precedes any foot that I put in any door and I always get a lot of "your father was a great man".
'That’s another reason why I take a lot of pride in the philanthropy work that I do, because it positively reflects his parenting ability and parenting skills of how he decided to raise us.
'I feel that without him, I wouldn't be the man that I am today. So I’m just trying to continue to show that appreciation and gratitude by continuing his philanthropy work.'
