George Michael was born on June 25, 1963 in Finchley, a northern suburb of London, to a Cypriot and English Jewish mother. His musical career began in 1981, when he, along with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley founded The Executives. The group was unable to succeed, and then Michael and Ridgeley decided to act as a duo, adopting the name "Wham!". They adopted the stage persona of wealthy rake, professing a hedonistic lifestyle, which was "to the fullest" demonstrated in the video clips for debut singles"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" and "Young Guns (Go For It)". Despite the huge commercial success of "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" and "Last Christmas", the band disbanded in 1985. The latest singles from Wham! "Careless Whisper" and "A Different Corner" were actually performed by George Michael.
After the breakup of Wham! the singer said that he intends to start a solo career and write more serious, adult music. Released under the Wham! the life-affirming song "Freedom" brought Michael to the spotlight as one of the most talented and fashionable figures of his generation. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of their idol's first solo album. This album - titled "Faith" - hit record stores on October 30, 1987. In the wake of the hysteria caused by the release of the record (which was dominated by funk songs), more than 16 million copies of it were sold, and by the end of the year, Billboard magazine called it the best-selling album in the US.
The second album "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" brought Michael two more hits: "Freedom 90" and "Praying For Time", but overall was much less commercially successful than "Faith". George Michael accused record label Sony of not investing enough in promoting the album, which led to litigation between the singer and Sony, which Michael lost. Then the singer refused to release albums until his contract with Sony ended. In a long break between albums, the singer releases the single "Too Funky", included in the collection " red hot And Dance", and the duet "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with Elton John, and also takes part in the Queen concert dedicated to the memory of Freddie Mercury.
Virgin Records released Michael's third solo album, Older, which was more successful in Europe than in the US (where Michael's era of popularity had already passed). Hits such as "Jesus To A Child" and "Fastlove" reached number one in the UK. In 1998, Michael was detained by the police, who found him masturbating in a public restroom with another man. The singer was forced to admit that he had a non-standard sexual orientation, which had a very deplorable effect on the sales figures of his records. In the same year, a collection greatest hits"Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael", which contained new song"Outside" about his forced coming out. In 1999, Michael released an album of cover versions of his favorite songs, Songs From The Last Century.
In 2003, George Michael tried to regain his former popularity by releasing his first single in five years, "Freeek!", which was accompanied by an expensive video clip. This investment was not justified, as the single did not reach the first place even in home country. The follow-up album "Patience" did debut in the UK at number one. It was released as a single political composition "Shoot The Dog" - a satire on George W. Bush and Tony Blair, whom Michael accused of starting a war with Iraq. In 2006, the video for the new song "An Easier Affair" premiered on MTV. premiered at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival documentary film George Michael: A Different Story, for which the singer wrote the script.
On November 11, 2006, the greatest hits album "Twenty Five" was released, timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of creative activity singer. In addition, for the first time in 15 years, George Michael went on a world tour. On the night of January 1, 2007, J. Michael earned a record fee of three million dollars for just one concert at the villa of the oligarch Vladimir Potanin near Moscow. In 2007, George Michael announced the continuation of his tour, during which he gave concerts for the first time in Moscow (July 5 and 6, 2007) and Kyiv (July 9, 2007).
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Biography, life story of George Michael
George Michael (Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou) is a famous British singer and pop icon.Childhood and youth
It is hard to believe that the son of an emigrant from Cyprus, who was born in the capital of Foggy Albion on June 25, 1963, could become a world famous person. Moreover, as a child, he was quiet and shy, wore glasses and regularly experienced humiliation from his peers.
Yorgos was introduced to music by his parents, who forced him to learn to play the violin. Classes were given to a teenager with great difficulty - he was left-handed and had difficulty adapting to the instrument. As a result, I gradually began to hate music. If not for the records and bands that Yorgos listened to with pleasure, the British youth would hardly have received their idol. Thanks to them, Panayioto took place as a singer and composer.
An important role in his development was played by a guy from his class, also the son of a native of Cyprus. Andrew Ridgeley became a bosom friend of the future musical legend. Under his influence, George Michael changed his view of life and took care of himself: he began to monitor his appearance, changed ugly glasses for inconspicuous lenses. In addition, he limited his diet and fell in love with sports. A few months later, Michael turned into an attractive dark-haired young man, as he was remembered by millions of fans.
Carier start
Friends created the group The Executive, began to perform at concerts at school. The boys were 16 at the time. Over time, they began to be invited to the stages of the capital's clubs. The group quickly gained popularity, but this did not save it from disintegration. Nevertheless, the creative duet continued its activities.
As a result of fruitful work, compositions appeared that were not ashamed to be offered to a reputable recording studio. The performers did just that, as a result of which they signed a contract with Innervision Records.
CONTINUED BELOW
Confession
Since then, the WHAM! group has appeared, quickly taking a leading position in both domestic and foreign charts. Real masterpieces were born one after another, the fame of the artists went far beyond the British Isles, and they themselves set off to conquer the world with the help of tours. Yorgos Panayiotu henceforth decided to be called George Michael.
The group lasted six years, after which it ceased operations. The guys went into solo swimming However, only one of them managed to achieve worldwide recognition. Solo performances George Michael began by performing Careless Whisper, which instantly brought him even greater fame. This single was followed by others, no less hit. The peak of her career came in 2015, when over one hundred million copies of albums were sold.
Personal life
George Michael was gay and wasn't ashamed of it. The singer's revelations, which got on the pages of the tabloids, caused a mixed reaction and became the reason for his persecution by the "yellow" publications. But this did not stop George Michael from dating sports instructor Kenny Goss for 15 years.
After breaking up with him in 2009, George Michael's heart remained free for two whole years. He then befriended the Lebanese Faddi Fawaz. The depth of feelings can be judged by the fact that once the performer refused a world tour due to the illness of his boyfriend.
IN last years life, the singer no longer looked like a fit macho as before, but he was still loved. George Michael passed away unexpectedly for everyone on a bright Christmas day on December 25, 2016. The singer lay in his own bed and probably left this world without torment.
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28.12.2016 23:46
Singer and composer George Michael was born on June 25, 1963 in the UK, in the city of Finchley, which is located in North London. George Michael is the stage name of the singer, the real name of the artist Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou.
George's father, Kyriakos Panayiotou, was a Cypriot who emigrated to Britain in the 1950s and married an Englishwoman, Lesley Engold Harrison. His father was managing a small restaurant with Greek cuisine, while his mother was a dancer.
In addition to George, the family had two more children - sisters Melanie and Yoda, who were older than him. As a result, it was the sisters who were engaged in the upbringing of the child, since the parents did not have time for this due to being very busy at work.
The image-sex of the symbol in maturity runs counter to what the singer was like in childhood - George Michael was forced to wear glasses due to poor eyesight, his complexion could not be called athletic, which is why he was constantly attacked by his peers. To all the problems was added the need to learn to play the violin, which the future star really did not like.
Michael wanted to become a star since childhood, literally from the age of 7, while playing the violin did not bring much pleasure, especially since he was left-handed. At that time, George repeated or tried to reproduce all the tunes that he heard on the radio. The father did not share his son's hobbies, unlike his mother, who provided the strongest support in his career and presented a voice recorder with a recording function.
A strong influence on the singer and his further style provided by Queen and Elton John. A sharp turning point in life came after moving to Hertfordshire, entering a new school and meeting Andrew Ridgeley, who had Egyptian roots. The acquaintance happened in 1975, Ridgeley was specially assigned to Michael to help him get comfortable. This was a turning point in the artist's life.
Music by George Michael
The singer has changed a lot in appearance, stopped wearing glasses, lost weight. The revision of the attitude towards himself and towards life caused Michael to have new hobbies, because of which there was no place for study.
Instead of lessons, Michael, Ridgeley, and a mutual friend, David Austin, gathered at the Green Park subway station to entertain passengers with covers of Beatles songs, David Bowie and your own creations. Gradually it developed into education bands The executive. In addition to those listed in the team consisted of Andrew Leaver and Paul Ridgley.
Especially this team did not become famous, releasing only one hit - Rude Boy. The band didn't last long, but the members managed to lay the groundwork for the formation of Wham!, as many songs were written for future Wham! albums during their time at The Executive.
The famous pop duo was signed to the promising label Innervision Records in 1982. In the same period, the pseudonym "George Michael" was taken. The image of the group is rich playboys, respectively, their work was directed more at the youth. This is confirmed by the video clips for the debut songs: “Club Tropicana”, “Bad Boys”, which became calling card groups.
The first album was called Fantastic. After the initial success, it was decided to switch to the Epic label, after signing a contract with which, the band members began to receive much more money from royalties than before.
A short break in creativity happened at the end of 1983, and it lasted until May 1984. Until that time, developed new image group, and work was underway on a new album, which was called Make It Big. He became popular within the UK, taking first place in various charts. The best creation from the album became a video. It's about about the video "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go", which has become a cult.
The next two years were the most successful for the group, since it was during this period that such famous songs, like "Careless Whisper", "Freedom" and of course "Last Christmas", which for a long time became a kind of anthem for this holiday.
Solo career of George Michael
George's disagreements with the producers about the discrepancy between the image of a hooligan teenager imposed on him and his internal state romance led to the breakup of the group, despite its peak popularity. The band's albums ended on the disc "The Final", which broke all sales records - they amounted to 40 million copies.
As a solo singer, Michael made his debut in 1984 with the song "Careless Whisper", but full-fledged solo performances began after the breakup of the group, in 1986. Then the Faith album was released, which received all the significant music awards of that year, including the Grammy.
The second album, called "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1", was not so successful, although there were several famous songs. The artist considered that it was not him, as a performer and author, who was to blame for the failure, but the Sony record label, which, according to him, did not promote the album properly. This led to lawsuits between the artist and the label, and due to the fact that the case was lost, Michael stopped creating until the expiration of the contract with Sony.
From that moment on, the career began to decline, and only six years later the album "Older" was released, which partially interested listeners in Europe. Best songs that can be noted are Jesus To A Child and Fastlove. Then came only collections best songs, as "Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael" in 1998 and as "Songs From The Last Century". This was in 1999.
A relative breakthrough after stagnation can be considered the release in 2003 of the scandalous clip Freeek!, which was very expensive. The success of the video was the reason for the successful debut in 2004 of the album Patience. In 2006, the singer went on a world tour with concerts for the first time in a decade and a half. In 2014, the sixth and latest album- "Symphonica", whose music delighted the fans.
Personal life of George Michael
Hints of unconventional sexual orientation arose long ago. Michael said he was afraid of how his family would react. In 1991, the singer had an affair with designer Anselmo Feleppa, from whom he caught HIV.
The hints were indirectly confirmed in the Older album. Around the same time, Michael's image changed, he began to wear short hair and leather vestments. It was especially hard in the mid-90s, when the mother passed away, and there were also attacks from the press.
In 1998, the singer decided to make a public announcement that he was gay. He was in a relationship at the time with Dallas businessman Kenny Goss. Unfortunately, later their photos in the tabloids became more interesting to people than songs, videos, albums or concerts.
Death of George Michael
On December 25, 2016, George Michael died at his home in England. The artist's manager discovered him. At the time of his death he was 54 years old. It happened in Oxfordshire. The cause of Michael's death is a heart attack.
It also became known that during 2016, George was taken to the clinic several times with an overdose, after which he began treatment for drug addiction.
George Michael discography
1983 - Fantastic
1984 - Make It Big
1986 - Music from the Edge of Heaven
1987 - Faith
1990 - Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1
1996 - Older
1999 - Songs From The Last Century
2004 - Patience
2014 - Symphonica
On the night of December 26, George Michael died suddenly at the age of 54. The cause of death was heart failure.
George Michael was one of the most popular and bright singers in the history of show business. Around 100 million of his CDs have been sold worldwide. However, in the role of an idol, Michael felt extremely uncomfortable. Under the mask of a star, a suffering and throwing man was hiding.
- George Michael is half Greek.
The real name of the singer is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou. He was born on June 25, 1963 in London. His father was a Greek Cypriot who owns a restaurant, and his mother is an English dancer.
Parents worked hard 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 5 years.
His first album was called Faith. It was a huge success and topped the US and UK charts.
At that time, Michael was experiencing a deep depression caused by the realization of his homosexuality, as well as exhausting tours. He later admitted that at that time he often had sexual intercourse with women, but he understood that Serious relationships he cannot have girls, because emotionally he was a homosexual.
The relationship ended tragically in 1993: Anselmo died of AIDS. George took this loss hard.
“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 cursed"
He dedicated the song 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 made a video for his song "Outside", which included a shot of police officers kissing.
George Michael laid out £1,450 for the piano. Such a colossal amount testifies to his deep reverence for Lennon.
The singer blamed them for the war in Iraq.
For this performance, he received $3 million.
There was a risk that the singer would lose his voice forever. Nevertheless, he recovered and continued to tour.
After Michael's death, Elton John wrote in 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 the fans."
Other stars also shared their feelings on the passing of the legendary singer.
Madonna wrote:
"Good bye, my friend! Another great artist leaves us. When will this terrible year finally end?”
Lindsey Lohan:
My love. My soul and my heart is 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 not believe this. Incredible performer and wonderful person too young to leave us"
53-year-old George Michael's heart stopped while he was peacefully at home in bed. The police who arrived called the cause of death "unclear but not suspicious." So 2016, as if conceived to knock off more world music from the chessboard big figures, took another victim - I would like to believe, the last one.
wham! "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
Georgios Kiryakos Panayiotou was born on June 25, 1963 in north London in the family of a Greek restaurateur and an English dancer who came to England from Cyprus. When his family moved to Hertfordshire, new school Georgios met with Andrew Ridgeley. Together with him, they first formed a pop band with a strong ska influence. After a short time, the composition was reduced to a duet, called Wham! , - so George Michael and big show business first time they met each other.
George Michael "Careless Whisper" - This song appeared on the album Wham! , however in the US it was signed as "Wham! featuring George Michael", and in other countries as his solo recording.
Wham Road! to success was not so long - after the appearance of the song "Young Guns (Go For It)" in the program "Top of the Pops" she hit the English charts. "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" became a worldwide hit. George Michael was the obvious leader of the duo, so the beginning solo career seemed like the next, absolutely obvious step.
George Michael "Faith"
wham! disbanded in 1986 when George Michael released his most successful album, Faith. 25 million copies of this record were subsequently sold worldwide. The combined circulation of George Michael and Wham! exceeds 100 million copies.
George Michael Freedom! "90"
Recordings with Elton John and Aretha Franklin, Grammy awards, huge sales - that's what his life consisted of in the late 80s and early 90s. He performed at Wembley with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Memorial Concert, while under his songs collapsed iron curtain. Residents of the USSR watched the clip “Freedom! 90 with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford - and the advantages of the capitalist system and democracy over socialism became clear to them as daylight.
George Michael "Too Funky"
Despite the fact that his songs, as a rule, were about sexuality and passion, and his videos looked very vicious, George Michael had to hide his homosexuality for a long time. In 1998, there was a scandal with harassment in public toilet in Beverly Hills. The Latin American, to whom the singer showed his whistle, turned out to be an undercover police agent.
George Michael not only came out, but also filmed quite a landmark video "Outside" based on this scandal. The policeman tried to sue the singer for 10 million, but the court did not believe that the moral damage inflicted on him was so significant.
George Michael "Outside"
20 years ago, the album "Older" was released, perhaps the last solid and significant recording of George Michael. The record was rated much higher in Europe - but in America, George's star began its decline.
George Michael "Different Corner" is a solo song released in 1986 when Wham! was just about to give a massive farewell concert at Wembley Stadium.
After Older, George Michael repeatedly complained about the creative block and generally reduced his productivity quite a lot. Singles like "Shoot the Dog" against Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq didn't resonate like they used to. His last studio album came out in 2004.
George Michael "Fastlove"
But the scandals didn't end there. In addition to the incident in the American toilet, there were others. He was arrested several times for drug offenses. He was stripped of his driver's license after his "Range Rover" rammed the window of a London store - Michael, who was driving, was in a state of drug intoxication. Journalist Simon Hattenston, who interviewed Michael twice,
