Paris Jackson is following in her father’s moonwalk.
On Friday, the 22-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson released her debut solo album, “Wilted,” channeling the heartache of her breakup with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Glenn this past summer. Her latest foray into music is filled with tracks that reflect a hard life spent in the public eye.
The emotional first single, “Let Down,” is accompanied by a video that opens with Paris shedding a tear of blood while singing somber lyrics declaring, “You were my all / And now I fall to the ground / you hit the wall / And now I crawl underground.”
Even though the album is described by those close to her as “more punk than pop,” the dark and woodsy setting for the “Let Down” music video nods to her late father’s famous “Thriller” film. Indeed, Michael Jackson has left his mark on Paris.
Eleven years after Michael’s death from an overdose of prescription drugs, Paris still carries the scars of a childhood that took an unexpected and devastating turn.
When the King of Pop died, ushering in a chaotic, years-long struggle with family infighting and multiple suicide attempts by Paris, she moved out of her home at 18. On her own, she found and lost love on at least two occasions, but those close to her said Glenn felt like the real deal.
The pair met in 2018 when Glenn’s heavy metal band, The Trash Dogs, played a show in Hollywood with Paris’ cousin, Austin Brown. Insiders said Paris was enamored with Glenn’s ukulele performance and recruited him for her folk-pop group The Soundflowers.
“They were inseparable from the start,” her relative told The Post. “She got her cousin’s blessing that Glenn was a good guy, and she never looked back.”
Paris viewed Glenn much differently than her previous romances, including drummer Michael Snoddy, actor Tom Kilbey and model Cara Delevingne.
“She really thought she had a partner, if not for the rest of her life, but at least the type of bond where they could always depend upon each other,” the relative added. “She walked different with Gabe; she talked differently. The way she looked at him, you knew this was special. At least, we all thought.”
They confirmed their breakup in August after two years of dating.
Despite the heartbreak, a family source said that worries about Paris relapsing into previous self-harming tendencies and suicidal behavior have subsided. But it has been a long and agonizing road to get there.
In 2013, Paris reportedly was hospitalized in Los Angeles after cutting her wrist and overdosing on prescription medication. Family members characterized it as a suicide attempt, which Paris later acknowledged in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone.
Just one year earlier, then-14-year-old Paris was captured on a surveillance video fighting with her aunt Janet Jackson.
After she tweeted that she hadn’t seen or heard from grandmother Katherine Jackson in at least eight days, Paris scuffled with Janet. The “Control” singer scolded her niece and attempted to take away her cellphone because she feared the teen would post private information on social media.
Then, in 2019, responding to a TMZ report that Paris had again attempted suicide and was placed on a 5150 hold, Paris angrily tweeted, “F–king liars.”
“They had it all wrong,” the family source said about TMZ’s story. “While no one, not even she, pretends that it’s been easy, Paris has had it together for a while now.”
One person close to the Jacksons credits her recuperation to her 23-year-old brother Prince Michael, and her strong desire to create music and continue her father’s legacy.
“She realizes she can’t fulfill Michael’s dream of making this world a better place if she’s not here to take the lead,” the person said.
Prince Michael served as executive producer of “Wilted,” and family sources said it’s just one of his many artistic endeavors.
“Prince has been quietly working in the television and music industry, producing some great stuff,” a relative said. “They’ve always been close, but there had been so much going on in everyone’s life that Paris may have felt lost. And Prince was still finding himself while also trying to mentor their younger brother Bigi [formerly known as Blanket]. About four years ago, Prince really stood up and grew into the role that Michael envisioned, which is being a strong big brother to both of them.
“He’s Paris’ father figure.”
Bigi, 18, has been slowly coming out of his shell, the source added.
Like his sister and brother, Bigi is a product of the ultra-competitive and elite Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., once attended by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Bret Easton Ellis. Outside of his studies, he’s focused on martial arts, enjoys video games and attending Comic-Con.
Music unites all three Jackson kids.
“The family is music, and Bigi sees his sister making music, his cousins all making music, and of course they know their father’s history and the history of their aunts and uncles,” the source said. Family and friends are impressed with the strong will Paris has demonstrated and hope that Bigi takes after his big sister.
When asked by The Associated Press what her late father might think of her music, Paris demurred.
“I’m not him, so I can’t speak for him,” she said. “But I hope he would be happy, and I think he would be stoked because I’m happy.”
Family members said Paris’ resolve is like Michael’s.
Timeline of exes
“Paris learned from Michael, and the best thing about this is that she doesn’t give a f–k what the media thinks of the record,” the family member said. “She stopped caring a long time ago, and that’s why you’re no longer writing about suicide attempts and drama. She’s changed the narrative. She’s a Jackson, so she’s changing the game.”