It was 1987 when this “Sign Your Name Across My Heart” singer hit the scene. Do you remember? There was buzz that he was going to be the next Michael Jackson, James Brown, Prince, and Sam Cooke all rolled into one. What happened? Terence Trent D’Arby fell off the music scene about as fast as he jumped on. Welp, we found him and he had a whole lot to say about the tension between himself and the late, great Michael Jackson!

Why He Was Angry With MJ…And The Government?

In a prior interview with Huffington Post, Terence Trent D’Arby revealed some sort of beef he had with MJ (although he’s not really clear about how it allegedly started), as well as some deep information about an agenda of Sony Music, the F.B.I. and C.I.A.:

“Michael used his tremendous influence and control of the Beatles’ catalog to ensure that my way was compromised. I can honestly stand before God at Judgment and testify that the great Master Jackson was a bona fide, life changing ‘pain in my ass’, the 800 pound Gorilla in the room never mentioned but always felt, if not seen. He hated me…and yet, circumstances being as we find them, none of that made him any less a Hero to me for all that he had already done to inspire my youth, and coming together as a servant of the music.”

Now read what else D’arby said here:

“Bear in mind that Sony was scared sh*tless of myself and Master Jackson being close. Then again, so was the F.B.I. & the C.I.A. Particularly African American talent is watched and scrutinized carefully that they not put their minds together towards anything not on the system’s agenda, lest they inspire greater discussion and participation in the body politic among those regarded as their ‘People’.”

Do you think he’s accurate with his claims about MJ? Or do you think there’s more to this story? As far as the C.I.A. and F.B.I. claims, that’s actually a story we’ve heard too often, unfortunately, especially when it came to certain people of power, such as Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X. So that does make one go, ‘Hmmmm.’

Terrence Trent D’Arby Now & His Wife

Check out what Terence has been doing since we’ve last seen him…and get ready for this: just like the beloved Prince once did, Terence Trent D’Arby changed his name too.

With his 1987 hits, like “If You Let Me Stay,” “Wishing Well,” “Sign Your Name,” and the Smokey Robinson/Jackson 5 cover “Who’s Loving You.” D’Arby was definitely making some noise for a minute.

Two years later, he released his album, “Neither Fish Nor Flesh,” but it just didn’t measure up to the debut album and that’s when he seemingly disappeared into then air. He made a comeback in 2001, but he wasn’t Terence Trent D’Arby anymore…he went by his then-newly created name, Sananda Maitreya. He explained why he changed his name in a prior interview:

“Terence Trent D’Arby was dead…I watched his suffering as he died a noble death. After intense pain I meditated for a new spirit, a new will, a new identity.”

After the slow demise of his major-label career, he moved to Munich, Germany and then Milan, Italy where he settled in 2002. The next year, he married the Italian architect and television host, Francesca Francone, and they have two sons together. You can check him out on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sananda.org

One thing’s for certain, Terence a.k.a. Sananda has not missed a beat with his singing. His voice is just as flawless as ever. You gotta see one of his more recent performances below…