40 Years Later, Thriller's Grammy Sweep Still Resonates Professors Lil John Roberts and Mimi Jones, part of the team leading the upcoming Michael Jackson Ensemble concert, share their thoughts on the most successful album of all time.
By
Daniel Pesquera
February 28, 2024
Lil John Roberts serves as the concerts executive musical director.
Image courtesy of the artist
Image by Benjamin Brown
February 28 marks 40 years since Michael Jackson's game-changing album Thriller took home eight trophies at the 1984 Grammy Awards. His wins that night included Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Engineered Recording. This historic moment confirmed what many music fans already knew: Thriller was not only an all-time record (one that still holds strong as the best-selling album ever with over 50 million certified copies), but a masterpiece that would alter the direction of mainstream entertainment.
On April 12 and 13, Berklee will present Michael Jackson Ensemble: Human Nature as part of the college's spring Signature Series. Tia Fuller, professor of ensembles, is the shows executive director, along with Lil John Roberts, professor of ensembles and percussion, serving as executive musical director, and Mimi Jones, associate professor of ensembles, as director. Roberts previously worked with Jackson and toured extensively with Janet Jackson during her 1998 Velvet Rope tour.
In recognition of the anniversary, we spoke with Roberts and Jones about why Thriller has remained such a force that continues to inspire generations of artists.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
How did this album change peoples perception about how a record could impact the global culture?Mimi Jones: Thriller set a new standard in multimedia across the board for music, music videos, cinematography, choreography, and storyline for a song. The production of the music was a great combination of pop/funk with elements of other genres. It was classic and revolutionary at the same time. Could you imagine creating a 13-minute music video at that time and even in our present day? Videos after this would now take more time to create an actual storyline and incorporate a much higher level of cinema instead of a cheesy ad for the song. It was also rare to see an African American man and his African American girlfriend admired and be the stars of the video, where they both were depicted in a beautiful and normal light, when so many movies still had Black people looking angry, menacing, or on drugs.
The album took home eight Grammys, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Engineered Album. Is there an aspect of Thriller that still stands out to you as particularly singular or genre-defining, such as the songwriting and the production?Lil John Roberts: The things that stand out to me is the production blend of programming and live musicians. They found a way to marry both and have it grooving so hard. The players were tight! My buddy Jerry Hey on the horn arrangements, David Paich, Tom Bahler, Brian Banks, Greg Phillinganes, David Foster, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and many, many others made profound contributions to the album. It changed the way that pop music sounded.
Professor Roberts, youve worked with Michael Jackson, and you toured extensively with Janet Jackson as well. What would you say are the essential hallmarks of successful entertainers such as Michael and Janet Jackson from the standpoint of creating and sustaining success as a performing artist?Roberts: The things that stood out to me working with Michael and Janet was how hard they worked and their dedication to the art, striving to reach perfection the best way they could. Even if it wasn't perfect, you had to bring your A-game all the time, and push past that to be even greater. We would rehearse for hours, days, weeks, months before we hit the road. We knew the parts in our sleep, and every night just got better and better! I didn't get to tour with Michael, but I did a session in the studio for him, and later on he reached out to me asking if I was interested. I was elated just being asked by him.
Do you have a favorite song from the record and why?Jones: This is such a difficult question; I seriously love every song on the record. The storytelling, harmonic movement, and production of all the sounds integrated in Human Nature were done so succulently, its like fine chocolate. Michaels voice is hypnotic. [It felt like] everyone needed this in their lives. The groove alone in Billie Jean gives us all an empowered feeling. Even if we didnt understand all the lyrics or what the song was about. Its edgy and kind of angry. I love that it has so many strings playing but has more of a rock edge.
Roberts: OMG! It's so hard to pick one song from that album that I like the most-they are all amazing! One that stood out to me was P.Y.T. because of the syncopated groove and those chipmunk-ish sounding background vocals in the chorus. But Billie Jean because of the video with the lighting up floor tiles was outstanding. But Thriller ? No question that is the one! The groove, the theatrics of the song, accompanied by the video of course. Game changing!
Talk to us about the upcoming Michael Jackson Ensemble concert at the Berklee Performance Center.
Members of the Michael Jackson Ensemble.
Image courtesy of the artists
Roberts: I'm very proud of the work that we are all putting in for the MJ Ensemble tribute, from the professors Tia Fuller, Mimi, Jhony Keys, Anthony Burrell, and myself; along with the creative team, the band, and the students (vocalists and band, programmers, dancers)-it's a lot! We have a working list of almost 50 songs! We would need a lot more time to really dig into the production and theatrical side of things. We're trying to teach the songs and
North America Stories
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
27/01/2026
ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...
27/01/2026
Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night Premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Kicks Off 15-Year Anniversary Celebrations in Brazil W...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
Among t...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Four New Japan Titles Announced for 2026: Viral Hit', On...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...
27/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
40 Years Later, Thriller's Grammy Sweep Still Resonates Professors Lil John Roberts and Mimi Jones, part of the team leading the upcoming Michael Jackson Ensemble concert, share their thoughts on the most successful album of all time.
