Award-winning singer George Michael was one of the leading pop stars of the 1980s and 90s. His 1987 album Faith was named best album of the year and won a Grammy Award. George Michael was born in East Finchley, London, England on June 25, 1963. As a teenager, he formed the group Wham! along with schoolmate Andrew Ridgeley. In 1984, thanks to this duet, their first hit, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” appeared. Two years later, Michael began solo career, releasing their debut album. This album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. In 1998, Michael came out as gay after being arrested for indecent exposure in a public toilet. The singer continued to perform, and his career underwent a reboot of sorts in the mid-2000s, marked by the release of his greatest hits in the album “Twenty Five.” He continued to tour and donated much of his time and funds to charitable causes.
His real name is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou. One of popular music's leading artists in the 1980s and 90s, he grew up in and around London, where he developed a passion for music as a teenager. early age. While in high school, Michael shared his love of pop music with a high school friend and they began performing together. According to some reports, Michael and his partner Ridgeley were a very controversial duo. Michael was chubby and shy, while Ridgeley was tall and handsome. After graduating high school, friends Michael and Ridgeley formed a group called "The Executives". This band only played a few shows before breaking up. In 1982 they became known as Wham! Their first album was released in the UK in 1982, and reached number 4 in the charts. The following year it was released in the United States. Guys were especially popular among teenage girls because of their youthful appearance. Michael and Ridgeley donated proceeds from their holiday single "Last Christmas" to charity.
As a solo artist, Michael received his first Grammy Award for a duet with Aretha Franklin. Their single "I Knew You Were Waiting" won the award for Best R&B Duo Performance in 1987. In the same year, the singer captivated listeners with the impressive hit “Vera.” In an attempt to maintain his teen heartthrob image, he often wore a sporty leather jacket, maintaining this style. Of the musical trends during this period, George Michael chose funk. His hits of that time were: “Father Figure”, “Monkey” and “One More Try”. Continuing his musical evolution, Michael incorporated soulful and jazzy elements into his songs. The subsequent album introduced several hits to the music world, including “Praying For Time.” In 1991, Michael performed "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" as a duet with Elton John for charity. The song became a No. 1 hit, gaining incredible popularity. The proceeds were sent to the Rainbow Children's Charitable Foundation.
In 1998, Michael made a sensational announcement, and this time it was not about music. He was arrested for lewd behavior in a men's restroom in a public park in Los Angeles, California. After the incident, Michael appeared on television and admitted that he was homosexual. There had already been some speculation about his sexual orientation over the years, but this was his first public statement on this issue. In February 2006, Michael had another brush with the law and was detained on suspicion of drug use in London. A few months later, Michael announced that he was going on tour. Around the same time, the singer released a collection of his songs called “Twenty Five”. Work that included new material, was timed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael's musical career.
George Michael died of heart failure on December 25, 2016 at the age of 53. The artist was found dead at his home in Oxfordshire on Christmas morning.
George Michael (real name Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou) is a British music legend. His compositions “Last Christmas”, “Freedom”, “Careless Whisper” and “One More Try” are popular and loved in all corners of the planet. George Michael’s musical career was for a long time associated with the group “Wham!”, but later the artist successfully proved that he is a self-sufficient person and can also be popular as a solo performer.The story of how little Yorgos Panayiotou, the son of an emigrant from Cyprus, became a legendary British singer is in our biographical review.
George Michael's childhood and youth
The future idol of British youth was born in north London. His father was an emigrant from Cyprus, and his mother was a native of the British Isles. As the singer himself recalled, the main grievance of his childhood was the constant absence of his parents. Giorgos Panayiotou was youngest child in the family, and therefore his upbringing rested entirely with his two older sisters.It is quite noteworthy that as a child, Yorgos was a very meek and shy child. Due to vision problems, he wore huge glasses, and therefore was constantly attacked by his classmates. In addition, at the insistence of his parents, he had to take lessons classic game on the violin, which also did not add to his popularity among his peers.
As for music, things weren’t going smoothly for Yorgas in this field either. Being left-handed from birth, the guy had great difficulty mastering the intricacies of playing the violin. Only the records of Elton John and Queen helped the young boy not to completely hate music. To some extent, it was they who predetermined the musician’s further style.
A kind of turning point in Yorgas’ life was the appearance in his class of another person from a family of emigrants, Andrew Ridgeley. It was communication with him that made the future singer reconsider his attitude towards life and himself. Panayiotou changed his glasses to contact lenses and sat down on strict diet, began to play sports and within six months turned into an impressive dark-haired guy, as millions of people recognized and loved him.
Along with the new look came new hobbies. Yorgas and Andrew began to skip classes frequently, spending days on end in the intricacies of the London Underground. Here, at British underground stations, they gave impromptu concerts for random passers-by. Andrew played guitar and Yorgas sang. During this period, their repertoire consisted mainly of compositions by Elton John, David Bowie, and The Beatles, but soon several of the duo’s own compositions were added to them.
George Michael's songs are popular all over the world
George Michael's Professional Career: WHAM!
At the age of 16, two boys formed their own group, which was called The Executive. The guys performed at school concerts and gave small performances in London clubs. Despite the success, the team very quickly broke up, but Yorgas and Andrew continued to collaborate.Soon the duo's repertoire accumulated several worthwhile compositions. Having sent demo versions of their songs to the management of the young label Innervision Records, the guys were able to enlist their support and sign a very lucrative contract. Thus appeared on the musical Olympus of Europe new group WHAM!, which, just a few months after the official release of the first single, occupied the top lines of the British and American charts. During this period, Yorgas (Georgios) took the pseudonym George Michael, which became his native name for all subsequent years.
The hits “Enjoy What You Do”, “Bad Boys”, “Club Tropicana” instantly made the young band popular on both sides of the ocean. From 1982 to 1986, the team basked in the glory. Their albums sold millions of copies, and the geography of their tours extended from the USA to China. The impressive Cypriot and the romantic Egyptian (whom Andrew was by origin) became real idols for hundreds of thousands of women from all over the world.
Wham! – Freedom (Live 1984)
George Michael's solo career
Despite the fact that WHAM! was, according to many music critics, the most commercially successful project of the 80s, the group ceased to exist in 1986. Each of the participants took up solo work, but only George Michael, the author of most of the band's songs, achieved the popularity of Wham! and surpassed her. 
The debut single “Careless Whisper” took the singer to the top of the national charts and earned him the title of “Best Author of the Year.” His first solo album, Faith, was no less successful, bringing him a Grammy statuette and several other prestigious awards. The disc became diamond in the USA and Canada, and platinum in the UK and Australia.
George Michael - Careless Whisper
This was followed by new albums: “Listen Without Prejudice”, “Older”, “Songs From The Last Century”, “Patience”, which were also very successful and brought him new awards. By 2015, total sales of the singer's albums exceeded 100 million copies. The accomplished artist gave a start to life to other talented young performers, acting as a producer for the record label Aegean Records.
Personal life of George Michael
In the singer’s personal life, everything was not as cloudless as in the musical field. In the mid-nineties, he was feverish from the shocks he had suffered due to the death of his mother, as well as several close friends. 1998 was a particularly tragic year for George Michael. Then, due to frequent attacks from the “yellow” press, he had to give a public interview, during which the singer admitted his homosexuality. According to the performer, he was equally attracted to both sexes and was not ashamed of his connection with the gay community. 
Such statements became the basis for real persecution of the performer, which was carried out by some British and American tabloids. The hype around his name subsided only after George Michael briefly left the stage.
His long relationship with sports coach Kenny Goss forced him to reconsider his attitude towards the performer’s sexuality. Fighting off attacks from the paparazzi, the two men were together for 15 years, proving that same-sex love is not inferior to traditional love in the sincerity of feelings.
Alas, in 2009, George Michael and Kenny Goss broke up. The reason, the media claimed, was the singer’s addiction to hashish.
In 2011, George began dating Lebanese hair stylist Faddi Fawaz. In 2012, the singer canceled a world tour due to illness in order to be with him in difficult times.
0 December 27, 2016, 20:40George Michael, who died unexpectedly on December 25 at the age of 53, became the main topic of the last days of the year. Star friends famous singer they still can’t recover, fans are bringing flowers and candles to his house, and insiders have already begun to divide the artist’s millions and find out the details of his death..
People carry flowers and candles to George Michael's house
Will
George Michael's official will has not yet been made public, but the British tabloids have already found out who will get the singer's money. According to informed sources, the lion's share will go to George's relatives, including his sisters Melanie and Yoda, singer Fadi Fawaz and numerous godchildren. Michael was close friends with many celebrities and was godfather their children, and very attentive - he regularly communicated with his godchildren, and did not just congratulate them on their birthday once a year.
How much is George Michael's net worth estimated?
The singer's fortune is estimated at more than 120 million dollars. This also includes real estate: George Michael had a mansion in Oxfordshire, where he died, and houses in London, New York and Sydney. In addition, the singer actively invested in art and amassed an impressive collection with the help of his ex-boyfriend, art dealer Kenny Goss, who is often called the greatest love in the artist's life.
Who will get millions after the singer's death?
Among the godsons of George Michael who could now receive millions of dollars are Roman and Harley Kemp, the children of the singer's Wham! Shirley Holliman and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp, and the children of the artist's cousin Andros.
The Kemp family took the news of George's death hard, because Shirley and Michael, who met back in the 80s, were close friends: after the collapse of the group Wham! they continued to communicate and called each other every week. It was Michael who introduced Shirley to her future husband, he also became the godfather of the couple’s children, a man whom the entire Kemp family simply adored:
My entire family is devastated by the news of the death of our wonderful friend Michael. We will miss him so much. Our hearts are broken
– Martin Kemp wrote on his Twitter page after learning of the singer’s death.
The man who traveled the whole world with my mother, her best friend... The man who introduced my parents, who forced my mother to call my father, who took Harley and me all over the world, was ready to do anything to make us smile... The man we all loved. We love you Yod.
Those also allegedly named in the will include James Kennedy, the son of George Michael's cousin Andros. The young man works as a DJ in London, but has not communicated with his famous relative for a long time, since his father had a big quarrel with the singer several years ago.
Rest in peace, George. I'm sorry for that recent years we never talked
- James laments.
Another heiress of George Michael could be the daughter of former “peppercorn” Jerry Halliwell. Jerry and Michael were close friends for many years, but when the singer had a daughter, it was not George who became her godfather, but his then-boyfriend Kenny Goss. However, this did not stop Michael from treating Bluebell as his goddaughter. Jerry Halliwell is also devastated by her friend's death:
How sad. Rest in peace George, dear friend, the kindest, most generous and talented man in the world. My thoughts are with your family
— this post appeared on the star’s Instagram page.
Charity
Of course, contributions will also go to charities: after the death of George Michael, it turned out that he was a very generous philanthropist and supported various charities for many years - secretly.
Dollars (!) to the Terrence Higgins Foundation, which provides assistance to HIV-infected people (Michael's boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa died of AIDS in 1993, and the singer could not recover from this loss for several years - editor's note), the MacMillan Foundation for Supporting Cancer Patients, the Foundation Childline (UK helpline for children and teenagers) and also made private donations different people who find themselves in a difficult life situation.
The list of the artist’s good deeds is impressive, but the most surprising thing is not even this: it turns out that worldwide famous singer He also worked as a volunteer at a homeless shelter. And George Michael did all this without publicity - he did not consider it necessary to advertise his charitable activities.
Drug addiction
George Michael had problems with drugs and alcohol throughout his life, and this is no secret to anyone. However, it was believed that the singer lately I finally gave up and live a full life healthy life. Alas, according to the artist’s neighbors and other insiders who wished to remain anonymous, this is not the case. A knowledgeable source told the tabloids that George had been struggling with drug addiction for the past year.
Over the course of a year, he was taken to intensive care several times. He was heavily addicted to heroin. It's amazing he lasted this long
- one of the singer’s neighbors told reporters.
George's boyfriend, who found the singer dead in bed, has not yet commented on this information. About the death of her beloved Fadi Fawaz
On the night of December 26, at the age of 54, George Michael died suddenly. The cause of death was heart failure.
George Michael was one of the most popular and brilliant singers in the history of show business. Around 100 million of his records have been sold worldwide. However, Michael felt extremely uncomfortable in the role of an idol. Under the mask of the star was a suffering and tossed-up man.
- George Michael is half Greek.
The singer's real name is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou. He was born on June 25, 1963 in London. His father was a Greek Cypriot who owned a restaurant, and his mother was an English dancer.
The parents worked a lot and did not take care of their son. George Michael recalled that he was never praised or hugged...
George Michael with his parents
“I was overweight, wore glasses, and my eyebrows grew together on the bridge of my nose...”
With this friend they created the musical duo Wham! The duet was very popular and lasted for 5 years.
His first album was called "Faith". It was a huge success and topped the charts in the US and UK.
At that time, Michael was experiencing deep depression caused by the realization of his homosexuality, as well as the exhausting tour. He later admitted that at that time he often had sexual intercourse with women, but he understood that serious relationship He couldn’t be with girls because he was emotionally a homosexual.
The relationship ended tragically in 1993: Anselmo died of AIDS. George took this loss seriously.
“It was a terrible time for me. It took about three years to come to my senses, and then I also lost my mother. I felt almost damned."
He dedicated the composition Jesus to a Child to Anselmo.
Michael commented on this incident as follows:
"He played a game with me called 'I'll show you something of mine, and you show me something of yours, and then I'll arrest you.'
In retaliation, George shot a video for his song “Outside”, which included a shot of police officers kissing.
George Michael paid £1 million 450 for the piano. Such a colossal sum testifies to his deep respect for Lennon.
The singer held them responsible for the war in Iraq.
He received $3 million for this performance.
There was a risk that the singer would lose his voice forever. However, he recovered and continued his tour.
After Michael's death, Elton John wrote on his account:
“I am deeply shocked. I lost a beloved friend - a man of the kindest and most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family, friends and all his fans."
Other stars also shared their feelings regarding the death of the legendary singer.
Madonna wrote:
“Farewell, my friend! Another great artist leaves us. When will this terrible year finally end?
Lindsay Lohan:
My love. My soul and my heart are with you and with those you loved. I'll tell you in your own beautiful words: "I think you're amazing." You are my friend who should have sung at my wedding... We will always communicate through prayers - now you are my angel. I love you, dear friend. Thank you for inspiring so many people. Angel...
Robbie Williams:
“God, no... I love you, George. Rest in peace"
Bryan Adams:
“I can't believe it. An incredible performer and a wonderful person, too young to leave us."
Georgios (Yorgos) Kyriakos Panayiotou (b. 06/26/1963 in Finchley, North London) was not always such a handsome man and was unlikely to suspect his multiple talents as a child. He was the youngest child of Kyriakos Panayiotou, a former Cypriot who emigrated to Britain in the 50s, and his wife, native Englishwoman Leslie Angold Harrison.
My father worked as a restorer and remembered raising children only after he had dug through old stuff to his heart’s content. Georgios was closely looked after by his older sisters Yoda and Melanie, and there was no talk of any formation of male character.
From the age of 7, he dreamed of becoming a pop star, but had no idea how to achieve it. At the insistence of his parents, the guy was forced to take classical violin lessons, which turned into 7 years of tearful torment for the left-hander. He was drawn to American soul music, respected Motown, Elton John and QUEEN, and sometimes went to London dance clubs, but was too shy to join the heated crowd of crazy people. At the age of 12, he was attracted by the romance of a pilot's career, but his classmates, having learned about his dreams, said that myopic, color-blind people had no place at the controls of an airplane. Georgios was really not good at distinguishing the shades of some colors and soon began to wear something on his nose.
And he would have remained a worthless, absent-minded, bespectacled rake if in 1975 he had not met Andrew Ridgeley (b. 01/26/1963 in Surry County, England), his new classmate, half English, half Egyptian, who was assigned help Georgios. “You know, before we met Andrew, I never thought about how I looked, about my manners and monstrous isolation,” recalled Ridgeley’s friend. “I was immediately struck by how cool he always looked, and this was the impetus for my transformation ". Soon Yogi, as Panayiota was called in the family, went on a strict diet, lost a dozen extra pounds and exchanged his tactile glasses for more comfortable contact lenses.
Tangible progress resulted in frequent absenteeism school activities, when he and his friend David Austin entertained London Underground passengers at Green Park station. David played 12-string guitar, and Georgios performed songs by David Bowie, Elton John and the Beatles, and even a few of their own.
At the age of 16, Andrew and Georgios formed the backbone of the school ska band THE EXECUTIVE. Ridgley's brother Paul, David Austin and Andrew Leaver, who soon left and died of cancer at age 20, played with them. THE EXECUTIVE's only hit was the song "Rude Boy", and the most exotic in the concert repertoire was Beethoven's work "Fur Elise", reworked in the ska style, and they very quickly broke up. However, it was during these years that Georgios and Andrew wrote the initial repertoire for their breakthrough as part of the future phenomenal pop duo WHAM!
In March 1982, members of WHAM! George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley have signed a contract with the young label Innervision Records. And for the next year and a half, George and Andrew began to storm the English and American charts with their energetic, easy-going singles "Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)" (about the problem of youth unemployment), "Young Guns" (about sweet girlfriends) and "Bad Boys" (about eternal problems fathers and sons) and the exotic "Club Tropicana" (with an ironic look at club life in London). Finally, their debut album "Fantastic" was released in Britain (it appeared in America in 1983 under the name "Wham! UK"). But, seeing the growing demand for their recordings, the contracted members of WHAM! received a tiny portion of the royalties from the sales of the disc, and they wanted to refuse Innervision's services and entered into a new, much fairer contract with Epic.
Up until mid-1986, WHAM! bathed in glory and were gods for the female half of humanity. Their second album "Make It Big", which sold over 5 million copies, went down in pop history as the first disc of the 80s with three singles reaching number 1 in the UK national charts ("Wake Me Up Before You") Go Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom"). They became the first Western group to play several concerts in communist China in April 1985. It is noteworthy that it was forbidden to export foreign currency from China, and the British were quite seriously offered to receive a fee for performing with bicycles. New singles “Last Christmas” and “I’m Your Man” proved that they were at the peak of their popularity, but soon the duo announced the end of their existence and remained in the memory of contemporaries as the most commercially successful pop project of the 80s ( with 40 million records sold), widely known for his philanthropy.
Andrew Ridgeley, who, according to the press and critics, was extra person and a slacker in the background of the author and performer of all the songs of WHAM! George Michael, married BANANARAMA member Karen Woodward, recorded his only solo album, “Son Of Albert” (his father’s name is really Albert), and after its failure, he lost his contract with Columbia Records. His career as a racing driver also ended in failure. In the early 90s, he opened his own restaurant and appeared on the same stage with Michael several times, worked as a guitarist, but then lay low.
Completely different metamorphoses occurred with George Michael. Even during the triumph of WHAM! In the summer of 1984, the composition "Careless Whisper" became Michael's debut single as a solo artist. He wrote this tender, heartfelt ballad as a 17-year-old naive youth who did not know the realities of life, and the world fell in love with this melancholic genius, having learned how early the most beautiful things manifested themselves in him. human qualities quite a mature man. For "Careless Whisper" in March 1985, Michael received the Ivor Novello statuette from the hands of his idol Elton John and became the youngest person ever to be awarded the title of best author of the year, and Elton also called him "the greatest author of his generation ".
He went solo for the second time in 1986, with another ballad of his, "A Different Corner", just before the breakup of WHAM! The single also topped the UK charts, and the further stylistic direction of George's songs seemed a done deal. He took a more refined and personal musical direction for his solo work and began to take sole control of his career when former managers of WHAM! hid from him an affair with the sale of their joint company to the owner of Sun Way with South African connections.
The first step into the unknown for him was the recording of the song “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” in a duet with black soul diva Aretha Franklin, who had never worked with white vocalists before. The song turned out to be very touching and, after achieving the highest places in the charts, its performers received a Grammy statuette in the category “Best Rhythm and Blues Vocals.”
The first single "I Want Your Sex" from Michael's debut solo album "Faith" (George originally planned to call it "Kissing A Fool") was unexpectedly banned from airing by the BBC and a third of American radio stations due to overly explicit lyrics and was again given 1st place in Britain, and in the USA, despite obstacles, the single reached 2nd place and sold more than a million copies. Michael once again produced and wrote all the songs for his new venture. "Faith" sounded very self-saturated and sexy, took its roots in soul music and jazz and without any question topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, staying there for a full year and a half. In America, George found greater understanding. There, for 9 months, “Faith”, “Father Figure”, “One More Try”, “Kissing A Fool”, and “Monkey” took turns topping Billboard on various charts (pop, rhythm and blues and adult contemporary). But in Britain, his talents were deservedly appreciated in 1988 with another Grammy statuette in the category “Best Vocalist of the Year”. In 1989, Michael was awarded three American Music Awards, but he considers his greatest and most important achievement to be the fact that he became the first white vocalist whose album topped the Billboard hit parade of “black” music.
The world tour in support of the album "Faith" touched cities in Europe, Australia and North America. However, he nearly had to cancel half of his European concerts when a medical examination revealed that a cyst had suddenly developed on the right side of his vocal cords. An urgent operation was required, if it failed, Michael could have serious problems with his voice, but, fortunately, everything went great, although George was forced to celebrate his 25th birthday in a hospital bed. In any case, he was not bored, because more than 1.5 million postcards from all over the world came to his room with wishes for a speedy recovery.
After the "Faith Tour", global sales of the album exceeded the 10 million mark (now they have already reached 15), and Michael began recording a second album as a triumph in recent years, while simultaneously completing an autobiography (co-authored with Tony Parsons) entitled "Bare".
"Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1", which appeared in 1990, turned out to be much more varied stylistically than the already classic "Faith". It was felt that over the past 20 years Michael had listened to all the best from pop, jazz and soul of the 60s, reggae and funk of the 70s, the BEATLES, Elton John and Prince. Much more interesting was the restored version of the song WHAM! "Freedom" as edited in 1990. "Praying For Time", "Soul Free" and "Cowboys And Angels" were very warmly received, in which Michael moved away from the concept that his label liked: write half dance, half ballad things, run around with a guitar and shake your ass (a la " Faith" and "Monkey") in the videos - and we guarantee their promotion. George this time wanted the focus to gradually shift from his person to his music.
However, despite the fact that he recorded a truly incomparable successor to the fame of "Faith", CBS/Epic, which by that time had already been bought by the Japanese giant Sony, decided to take revenge on the artist for his liberties in the selection of the repertoire and such new things as video clips, in which starred anyone except Michael himself, and gave the album very weak promotion, which, according to the most conservative estimates of experts, cost him half of the potential sales.
But George was not going to put up with such unceremonious treatment of his opinion. His protracted war with Sony began. In 1991, he already had the material ready to record "Listen Without Prejudice Vol.2", but postponed the release indefinitely, dreaming of releasing a dance album "EPT (Extended Play Thing)" of seven new songs and two covers. But again, the conflict with Sony ruined this event.
Also in 1991, at one of Michael’s Wembley charity concerts, the song “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (in a duet with Elton John) was recorded, which topped the British charts in November. Michael still couldn't release a full-length album, so the three songs that were supposed to be on it, "Too Funky", "Happy" and "Do You Really Want To Know", were kindly presented by George for the charity CD "Red, Hot & Dance" ", all proceeds from the sales of which went to the AIDS Foundation. In the “Too Funky” video again, there was no Michael, but the invited supermodels on the podium sang with the movement of their lips to the “plywood” of George, who directed it all behind the camera, having retrained as a cameraman, for which he received every kind of attention from MTV.
At the beginning of 1993, the “Five Live” EP appeared on sale with six tracks from last year’s Freddie Mercury memorial concert with the participation of QUEEN, George Michael and Lisa Stansfield and Michael’s own “Cover To Cover” tour (1991). Single "Somebody To Love" (duet of George and three Queens) and video for Michael's single "Killer/Papa Was A" Rolling Stone"were nominated for three nominations at the Video Music Awards, by the way.
Michael spent the next two years in courts and commissions considering his claim against Sony, which, in his opinion, was shackling his creative impulses hand and foot. Legal costs alone cost one of the wealthiest musicians in Britain (according to 1992) about $7 million, and how much nerve was spent! It was clear from the very beginning that he would lose, otherwise hundreds of other musicians would have had a good precedent for fighting for their rights with the almighty labels. And on June 28, 1994, judge Jonathan Parker gave the victory to Sony, to which Michael stated that he would no longer record a single song on this label. In 1995, a compromise solution was found after Sony set a buyout of $40 million. George was released from his contract with the label and lost the rights to all his songs released there. Plus, he had to write three new songs for the album best songs and one new one for a similar collection WHAM!, which, by the way, appeared at the end of 1997. Michael's buyout was financed by his new "American" label Dreamworks, owned by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenburg, and his "European" label Virgin, which paid George £30 million in advance for two future albums.
Feeling the smell of freedom, George implemented all the ideas accumulated over the past 6 years in the album "Older" in less than a year. The first 7-minute January single, “Jesus To A Child,” topped the British charts in the first week of its release, and “Fastlove,” which arrived in May, and the album itself completed the defeat of Sony’s last hopes for Michael’s failure. Quite the contrary, the Englishman’s new songs allowed him to experience a rebirth, and after an 11-year break he was again called best performer at the "Brit Awards", and in the computer video for "Fastlove" Michael took revenge on Sony by appearing in headphones on which the inscription "Fony" was visible. The remaining singles from the album, “Spinning The Wheel” and “Star People,” also enjoyed good success and, like the rest of “Older,” looked very stylish, conceptual, if not antique. Michael has recorded in many ways an album worthy of the melodicism of the late 80s, and of the highest quality. But let’s not scold him, because he had the desire to release it much earlier.
At the end of 1996, the musician decided to perform an acoustic concert for MTV Unplugged, but, much to the disappointment of fans, this performance was not planned for release on the album. However, some songs from there ended up on the flip sides of the singles from "Older".
At the same time, George, together with his cousin Andreas Georgiou, founded the Aegean Records label, which already records dozens of young artists. He threw himself into his work after a series of misfortunes that had haunted the musician in recent years (the death of his mother from cancer and the death of several close friends, including Princess Diana and Anselmo Fillepa). Recently, his sexual orientation has also become clearer. He was arrested in a public place (restroom) of a park in Beverly Hills in a very piquant situation and, after being harassed by the tabloid press, was forced to admit his homosexuality. Dozens of helicopters were circling over his house, strange people were on duty at the fence, and he simply could not withstand the moral pressure. In an interview with CNN, George said that he had his first sexual experience with a man at the age of 27 after the album "Faith", and before that he often dated women. Michael admitted that he had not slept with women for the last 10 years, although he had always paid attention to both sexes in spiritual communication. This, in his personal conviction, is also connected with his long and painful search for himself, which, it is possible, in the future may once again return his interest in the opposite sex.
In 1999, Michael released an album of cover versions of his favorite songs, Songs From The Last Century.
In 2002, George Michael tried to regain his former popularity by releasing his first single (since June 2000), “Freeek!”, which was accompanied by an expensive video clip. The investment was not justified, as the single did not reach first place even in home country. In the summer of 2002, the political composition “Shoot The Dog” was released - a satire on George W. Bush and Tony Blair, whom Michael accused of starting the war with Iraq. It was included in the album "Patience", released in March 2004, which debuted in the UK at number 1.
In 2006, MTV premiered a video for Michael’s new song “An Easier Affair.”
In the summer of 2012, George Michael's new single "White Light" was released. The song talks about the musician's experiences during his illness, and he thanks everyone who prayed for his recovery. Michael performed with this song (as well as with one of his previous hits - the song “Freedom”) on August 12, 2012 at the closing of the 30th Summer Olympic Games in London.
At the beginning of 2014, the artist announced that he was ready to present his long-awaited sixth solo album. So, called “Symphonica”, a new record by George Michael will be released on March 17, which will include 14 songs for the standard edition and 17 for the deluxe edition.