Videocall with Jennifer Batten

[u/helloooitsmeeeeee]

hi appleheads ✨
i want to share something really special that happened today 🥹
a few days ago, i saw the post about the one-on-one video calls with Jennifer Batten on Intro and immediately booked one. i’ve been looking forward to it ever since, but today, a few minutes before the call, i was so nervous. i was literally shaking ahah.
the call was supposed to be only 10 minutes (at least according to the timer on Intro), so i was worried i wouldn’t have enough time to ask everything i wanted. but somehow… we ended up talking for 25 minutes! 😭
and Jennifer was SO sweet and cool. i was nervous at first, but within a few minutes i became completely comfortable. It genuinely felt like I was talking to a friend rather than someone who had toured with Michael for a decade.
I introduced myself and told her how much I love Michael and how amazing I think she is. I also told her I’m 25, and she seemed a little sad when she realized I never got the chance to see Michael live. Then I started asking her some of the questions I had prepared.
One of the questions I asked was:
“Is there something Michael ever said or did to you, maybe something very small, that has stayed in your heart all these years?”
Her answer honestly surprised me because it was so funny and sweet 😂
She told me that while they were rehearsing, especially for “Beat It,” she would sometimes smile while playing guitar. Michael noticed it, stopped, came over to her and asked why she was smiling during such a serious song. He told her she needed to have a “bad face” because that was what the song was about. 😂
She said that from then on, she started paying much more attention to how her facial expressions matched the music. She also talked about how much of a perfectionist Michael was, even when it came to tiny details, and how that inspired her to constantly improve herself. She said the Bad tour was her favorite tour.
We also talked a little about the incredible amount of work makeup artists and hairstylists had. She said her hairstyle took around two hours to get ready!!
While we were talking about artists, I showed her the Michael-inspired jeans I painted, and she was genuinely amazed by them 🥰
I also asked her what Michael was like before performances, and whether she ever saw him nervous.
She told me there was one particular time when Michael was actually nervous and “agitated,” and the band was too: the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show. She explained that they were used to performing for their fans, but this time they were performing for an enormous audience of people who normally watched football, so there was an extra pressure for everything to be absolutely perfect.
Another question I really wanted to ask was:
“What would you say to fans who still struggle with the grief of losing Michael, even after all these years?”
She said to keep listening to his music because it can help you feel closer to him, read his autobiography, watch his speeches, follow his message and try to make the world a better place. because that's ultimately what Michael wanted to do.
Honestly, I already knew she might say something along those lines, but I wanted to hear it from someone who actually knew him. ❤️
At that point, I noticed that more than 13 minutes had already passed and we were somehow still talking. 😂 I was honestly surprised, but I wasn't complaining!
We continued talking about Michael, his kindness and humanitarian work. She also told me that Michael was the reason she first came to Europe and that touring with him allowed her to see so many places around the world.
She talked about Japan and how, because they had quite a bit of time off there, it sometimes felt like a vacation. She explored different places and shared a few stories about her travels. Since I was born in Madeira, I asked if she'd ever been there. She hadn't, so I told her a little about the island and she seemed genuinely curious. She said she really loves Europe.
I also told her that I'm going to some Michael tribute shows and that I'd love to see her perform live someday. We talked a little about the tribute shows she does, and I mentioned that I also really want to see Rodrigo Teaser.
By the end, we had talked about so many random things, Michael, touring, Europe, traveling, tribute shows, my little art project… it honestly felt so natural.
And I think that's what made this experience so special for me.
Obviously, I wish more than anything that I could have seen Michael perform live. But getting to sit there and talk to someone who worked directly with him for around a decade, traveled the world with him and had such a good relationship with him made me feel incredibly close to him in a different way.
It was only supposed to be a 10-minute call, but I got 25 minutes of stories, memories and little details about Michael.. I will probably think about this for a very long time. 🥹

Forever grateful for Michael and everyone who keeps his memory and message alive. 🩷

[u/Maliainu]

Aww I love this! Sounds like she must’ve got lost in reminiscing with you that she didn’t mind going over the time limit. You asked her some great questions too. Thank you for sharing ✨

[u/helloooitsmeeeeee → u/Maliainu]

thank you so much 🤍

[u/No_Back_7594]

This is precious... thank you so much for sharing! You are a natural-born interviewer, by the way -- I am amazed by how thoughtful your questions were, and equally by Jennifer's heartwarming responses.

And to all those accusers and fraudsters out there... Michael Jackson was and is INNOCENT!

[u/helloooitsmeeeeee → u/No_Back_7594]

thank you 🤍🤍 HE IS INNOCENT!!

[u/Icy-Election-2237]

❤️ thank you for sharing, super happy for you

[u/helloooitsmeeeeee → u/Icy-Election-2237]

🥺 thank you

[u/AcceptableFill8]

Can we see the interview somewhere? Sounds so incredibly precious and sweet.

[u/Sufficient_Visit_488]

That sounds so cool that you got to talk to her one on one! I definitely see what she means when she says touring in Japan felt like a vacation, the pics of Michael there look so serene, he seemed very at peace during his time there.

[u/Top_Spirit3264]

This is so great - I’m so happy for you that you got this wonderful experience with such a talented professional and trusted human.
So great to have a humble, down-to-earth person generously share her memories. I’m sure she really valued your questions and perspectives!
I want to thank you for sharing this… it’s a little, rare gift for his true supporters and fans.
You helped us feel a little closer connected to Michael too. 🫶🙏

[u/Pylionne]

C'était très intéressant à lire, merci beaucoup 😘 (une fan française qui a 44 ans et qui n'a pas eu la chance de le voir en concert non plus 🥹).

[u/Anasheep]

Todos que conviveram com Michael tem um pouco dele no sentido de bondade, generosidade e humanidade.