Introduction
Like Michael, the 67-year-old singer rose to fame when he was young as part of a musical group with his siblings.
While Michael found transitioning to a solo career easy and met success in the music industry, Donny struggled to break away from the image he built up as a member of The Osmonds.
Donny recently shared a clip to his Instagram where he revealed the “offensive” career advice the late “Thriller” singer once gave him.
“The name Donny Osmond was a joke, years ago,” the singer revealed in the clip. “I mean, if you said you like Donny Osmond music, you were ousted.”
He said that in 1983, he approached Michael about how he managed to shake off his family band image and become so massively successful. According to Donny, Michael didn’t shy away from giving him a word of advice.
“He said, ‘Your name’s poison, Donny. You gotta change your name,’” Donny said Michael advised. “It was very offensive. It was tough to hear that. But he was right, because in ‘89, radio stations all across the country played my music, but didn’t say my name.”
If you missed it, there’s a new update in the upcoming biopic about Michael.