The first Western singer to perform in China: Who is George Michael?

Wham!, who created unforgettable songs such as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Freedom", "Careless Whisper", "I'm Your Man" and "The Edge of Heaven", is the first Western band to perform in China. After its formation, it disbanded in 1986.

George Michael later began his solo career and became one of the most successful artists in the history of pop music in a career that spanned nearly 40 years.

Michael's albums have sold more than 100 million copies. Michael, whose songs have topped the charts in the UK seven times, has won the Brit Award three times and the Grammy Award twice.

"A Different Corner", "Jesus To A Child" and "Fastlove"; It was among other memorable songs by George Michael.

George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million and 125 million records worldwide. A prominent figure in popular music, Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation.

At the beginning of December 2016, it was announced that Naughty Boy, a British producer and songwriter of Pakistani origin, was working on a new album with George Michael.

The documentary, which tells the story of one of Michael's famous songs, "Freedom", was to be released in March 2017.

Michael, who refused to make a statement about his sexual preference for years, was detained in the USA in 1998 after he proposed sexual intercourse to a man, who later turned out to be a police officer, in a park toilet, and was then forced to declare that he was homosexual.

George Michael last had pneumonia in 2011 and therefore had to postpone some of his concerts.

He was only 53 years old when he died.

The British singer was known to have drug problems in the last 10 years. Michael, who admitted to driving after taking drugs in 2006, had his driver's license confiscated for 2 years.

Later, in 2010, Michael entered a photographer's shop in London with his car, was detained after the accident, and admitted to taking drugs again.

Michael, who stayed in prison for 8 weeks, had his driver's license confiscated again.

Details of his life story

When George Michael was born in North London on 25 June 1963, his real name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. His father was a Greek Cypriot restaurant manager who immigrated to England in the 1950s, and his mother was a British dancer.

However, it could not be said that Michael had a very happy childhood. The famous musician said in his interviews that his mother and father were constantly working to improve their financial situation and that they did not show much interest in him.

While still a young man, he moved with his family to Hertfordshire and met Andrew Ridgeley at school. The duo realized they had a common musical taste and formed a band together. However, the group soon disbanded.

Michael and Ridgeley appeared in Wham! in 1981. They formed the group.

The first song the duo released was Wham Rap! It was not a success, but when the 'Top of the Pops' television program broadcast in England invited the group to perform at the last minute, their song Young Guns (Go For It) rose to third place in the UK music charts, making the duo known throughout the country.

Although the duo initially portrayed a rebellious image in leather jackets and sang songs like Bad Boys, they later changed this image and wore clothes in line with the 80s fashion and wrote pop-oriented songs such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, which made a worldwide impact.

Michael being the leader of the duo was also an indication that he would pursue a solo career. He co-wrote the 1984 song Careless Whisper with Ridgeley, but the song was released in the US by Wham! and George Michael, and was Michael's first solo venture in his career.

Wham! They disbanded in 1986, and the next year Michael released the duet I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin, one of his favorite musicians.

Around this time, Michael began to question his sexual orientation. In an interview with the Independent, Wham! He said that the main reason he became depressed after the disbandment of his group was the realization that he was homosexual, not bisexual.

Lover's death

He spent most of 1987 working on his first solo album, Faith. The album topped the music charts in the UK and America, sold 25 million copies, and earned Michael a Grammy in 1989.

The first song from the album, I Want Your Sex, caused controversy, especially on US radio channels, and most channels refused to play the song. Some channels played the song by replacing the word 'sex' with 'love'.

His world tour in 1988 further cemented Michael's pop star status. However, the famous singer's screaming fans and constant touring drained his energy and intensified his depressive periods.

In 1994, he released the song Jesus to a Child, which he dedicated to his girlfriend Feleppa, and the song became a top hit in the UK. Jesus to a Child was later added to the Older album, which took 3 years to produce and was released in 1996.

After his lover, he also lost his mother

Older, a melancholic album, referenced Michael's sexual orientation, and the singer's image changed again. His long hair and beard were replaced by short hair and leather jackets.

The album was a great success in the UK and Europe, but fans in the US preferred the pop superstar they were used to, George Michael, rather than the serious artist that Michael wanted to become.

When his mother died of cancer in 1997, Michael fell into depression once again. In an interview with GQ magazine, he said that he thought about committing suicide, but the support of his boyfriend, Kenny Goss, dissuaded him from doing so.

In 1988, he was arrested by an undercover police officer in Beverley Hills, California, USA, while 'committing an immoral act' in a public restroom, and was sentenced to a fine and 80 hours of community service.

After this incident, Michael publicly disclosed his sexual orientation and announced his relationship with his girlfriend, Kenny Goss.

Continuing his music career, Michael released an arrangement album called Songs from the Last Century in 1999.

In 2004, he released the album Patience, which he worked on for 2 years.

The album, known as "George Michael's Comeback", was an immediate success in the UK and even reached number 12 on the US music charts.

After the success of the Patience album, Michael told the BBC in an interview that he would no longer sell albums and that his fans could download his music for free from the internet, but asked them to donate to charity instead.

He worked hard to gain recognition as a serious singer and songwriter. Although he struggled with depression and confusion about his sexual orientation, through his efforts he achieved his goal of appealing to an adult audience.

George Michael will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most enduring musicians of the 1980s.