Michael Jackson will release new material ahead of his comeback gigs at the London's O2 Arena in July.

The self-proclaimed King of Pop is currently looking at ways to distribute the new songs to fans.

It's thought he could follow the example set by Prince, who performed a similar residency at the venue two years ago, and give away an album to ticket holders.

The singer's promoter, Randy Phillips, told The Sun newspaper: “There will be a new Michael Jackson single before the first date.

“Michael has got some new music and he is looking for a new way of disseminating his material to his fans.”

Thousands of Michael Jackson fans have this morning joined a pre-sale to try and secure tickets to the singer's comeback gigs, which begin on July 8th.

All ticket outlets are experiencing high volumes of traffic, with Ticketmaster's website currently displaying a minimum wait of 15 minutes.

Demand for the shows has exceeded organisers' expectation, with over a million people registering for the chance to buy tickets.

(by Jason Gregory)