George Michael is known and loved by many for his timeless love ballads. The beauty of the voice, attractive appearance, undeniable genius helped the performer leave a bright mark in the history of music and in the hearts of millions of "fans".
The early years of George Michael
Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou, known to the world as George Michael, was born on June 25, 1963 in England, to a Greek immigrant family.
From an early age, the boy showed an exorbitant interest in creativity and music - he constantly danced, sang and entertained those around him.
Creative hobby prompted George to create a musical group with friend Andrew Ridgeley. The duet was called The Executives, and friends began to perform at various local parties, in clubs.
Despite the constant work, the improvement of their images, creativity, success was in no hurry to please the duet. After that, the musicians decided to radically change their image for confident and stylish party-goers, burning their own lives. The name was changed to Wham!, and popular love was not long in coming.
Commercially successful worldwide single hits are considered to be Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, the anthem of the New Year holidays and Christmas Last Christmas, the popular ballad Careless Whisper.
After five years of joint creative activity, the duo broke up, which prompted George to start a bright solo career.
Solo career of Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou
The only creative goal of the singer is to move away from the image of a carefree boy, starting to conquer the world with more serious and sensual hits.
He immediately took the top of the charts after the release of his first solo album Faith (1987), in which he acted not only as a performer, but also as an arranger and producer.
The album received the most prestigious Grammy Award in the Album of the Year nomination. The musical compositions were very unusual - a combination of different, incompatible styles; variety of rhythm and style.
The image of the singer has become more brutal - jeans and a leather jacket on a naked body.
The second record Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 became popular thanks to the track Freedom'90, or rather, the video clip for this song.
The video starred the world's leading top models of the period: Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and many others. The top of the charts was conquered by the composition Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, jointly performed and created with Elton John.
This time, it was not possible to receive prestigious awards and the former excitement, as with the release of the debut album. The reason for this was a low-quality inactive promo from the recording "mastodons" of Sony.
The musician announced a boycott of the record company in the form of a refusal to release albums until the end of the contract.
Along with this, high-profile litigation began, in which Michael won, spending half his income on it.
During the period of the creative boycott, George's compositions gradually lost their former popularity and gradually fell down the chart positions.
In 1996, he signed a contract with the European label Virgin Records, releasing the disc Older.
Melodic hits Jesus To A Child and Fast love skyrocketed in the UK charts, helping to make the album a commercial success.
The subsequent drop in sales of the singer's albums and compositions was justified by his coming out, an open position towards non-traditional sexual orientation.
This event did not prevent the release of a compilation album with sensational compositions Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael, containing the single Outside with arguments about homosexual orientation.
In the late 1990s, a record was released with cover versions of various hits Songs From The Last Century. In 2002, Freeek! and the song Shoot the Dog, filled with irony and satire in relation to political figures who started hostilities in Iraq.
In subsequent years, the singer actively participated in various concert events, released an album for free download Patience.
The Twenty Five record, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of his musical career, sent the artist on a large-scale tour around the world.
The Last Years of George Michael
2011 marked the start of the grandiose Symphonica tour, which had to be stopped due to a serious health condition.
The musician was diagnosed with a severe form of pneumonia, requiring connection to a ventilator.
In the summer of the following year, Michael released a thank you note to those who prayed for his recovery, the single White Light. In August of the same year, he performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London, performing the song Freedom.
In 2013, the world tour was restored. The following year, the live album Symphonica was released with the singer's hits performed live.
The musician died at the age of 53 in his sleep from heart failure in his own home.
The personal life of an artist
The musician was open in questions about his unconventional orientation. Initially, he followed the bisexual direction, dating girls.
Later, the musician decided for himself that he feels more affection and love for men, after which he made a public coming out.
Due to the sudden death and the dedication of his life to creative work, the singer did not have time to start a family.
George Michael was actively involved in charity work - he donated money to the AIDS and Cancer Foundation. All proceeds from the track Jesus To a Child went to the Children and Adolescents Help Center.
George Michael paid for treatments, IVF, bills for strangers and performed free and unscheduled concerts for those in need.
