New Michael Hutchence release in works

Michael Hutchence (centre). Photo / Herald archive

Previously unreleased songs by Michael Hutchence and a documentary on the last years of his life are to be released over the next year.

Sydney entrepreneur Ron Creevey, who runs Kings Cross studio and venue The X Studio, told AAP he has spent the last two years working on the project alongside LA-based record producer Danny Saber.

"I heard some time ago about some unreleased music that was sitting out there and I approached [Hutchence's] trust directly," Creevey says.

A total of 15 songs will be released.

"At least five songs are brilliant," he said. "There's going to be two duets that will come out with two very big artists that I can't legally name at the moment and then there's singles he did himself."

Saber, a producer on Hutchence's self-titled solo album released in 1999, says he and Hutchence had been working on music together not long before he died.

"Me and him sort of connected and started writing towards the end. It's sort of like a little treasure trove of stuff - essentially there were vocals and ideas and that's the stuff that I'm reworking and we're going to be releasing," Saber told AAP.

Creevey has also been gathering artefacts and documents belonging to Hutchence to build up a picture of the final years of his life.

Along with diaries and notes of Hutchence's, Creevey says he also developed film in a disposable camera the singer used not long before he died.

All of this will be used in a documentary that Creevey plans to release next year, to mark the 20th anniversary since Hutchence's death.

When news first surfaced in May of a potential Hutchence release, INXS manager Chris 'CM' Murphy threatened legal action against anyone who released anything under the INXS and Hutchence copyright.

Creevey denies that Murphy has any claim over the new music.

- AAP