| Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Greek: Γιώργος-Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου; born June 25, 1963, London) better known by his stage name "George Michael" - is a popular British pop singer and composer of pop songs of Anglo-Greek origin. Around 80
million copies of his albums were sold during his solo career and while he was partner in the duo Wham! George Michael has
won two "Grammy" awards - "Best Album of the Year" ("Faith", 1988) and Best R&B Duet (with Aretha Franklin, 1987).
Biography:
George Michael was born on June 25, 1963 in London in the family of a Kyriacos Panayiotou Cypriot and British Jew. His
musical career began in 1981 when he together with school friend Andrew Ridgeley formed a band called "The Executives".
The band did not do well in terms of success and both of them decided to perform as a duo and named the band "Wham!".
Wham!:
Michael and Ridgeley adopted a stage image of richness, professing a hedonistic lifestyle, which was "for all it is worth"
demonstrated in video clips for their debut singles "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" and "Young Guns (Go For It)". Despite the huge commercial success of songs "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" and "Last Christmas", the band had fallen out in 1985. The last singles of Wham! namely "Careless Whisper" and " A Different Corner" were actually performed by George Michael.
Solo Career:
After the fall out of Wham! the singer announced that he intended to start a solo career and compose more serious, adult music.
Released under the band "Wham!" the life asserting song "Freedom" had attracted general attention towards Michael as one of the most talented and fashionable personalities of his generation. Admirers impatiently waited for the
release of the first solo album by their idol. This album, entitled "Faith" was released in shops on October 30, 1987.
Riding on the wave of hysteria generated by the release of the record (where the "funk style" dominated), more than 16 million copies of the album were sold and according to annual reports, the "Billboard" journal named it as the highest sold disc in the USA.
The second album "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" brought two more hits to Michael: "Freedom 90" and "Praying For Time", but on the whole, it was much less successful commercially than "Faith". George Michael accused record-label "Sony" that it didn't allocate enough funds for the promotion of the album, triggering a legal battle between the singer and Sony which Michael lost. Then the singer refused to release albums till his contract with Sony expired. In the long break between albums, the singer released the single "Too Funky", which was one of the "Red Hot And Dance" collection and
The duet "Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with Elton John. Michael also took part in the Queen concert, dedicated to Freddy Mercury.
Return to show-business:
In 1996, Michael released his third solo album "Older" on "Virgin Records". The album "Older" was an instant hit in Europe but failed to impress the audience in the USA (where the popularity era of Michael was already over). Hits such as "Jesus To A Child" and "Fastlove" reached number one in the charts in Great Britain. In 1998, Michael was arrested by police, who found him masturbating in a public toilet with other man. The singer had to admit that he was homosexual which initially seriously affected his record sales. That same year, Michael released a collection of his best hits "Ladies And Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael", which contained a new song "Outside" relating to his kissing act. In 1999, Michael released a cover-version album of his favorite songs "Songs From The Last Century".
In 2003, George Michael seriously attempted to get back his earlier popularity by releasing a single "Freeek!" The single was accompanied by an expensive video clip. The single did not reach the top spot in the charts, even in native country. However the album "Patience" which followed soon after reached the top slot in the UK. Michael released a single "Shoot The Dog" on politics, which was a satirical song relating to George Bush Jr. and Tony Blair, whom Michael criticized for announcing the war on Iraq. In 2006, the premiere of the video of his new song "An Easier Affair" was shown on MTV.
Current events:
In 2005, the premiere of the documentary film "George Michael: A Different Story" took place during the International Film Festival in Berlin, for which the script was written by Michael himself.
The best hits album "Twenty Five", marking the 25th anniversary of creative work by Michael, was released on November 11, 2006. For the first time in 15 years, George Michael also went on a world tour.
On the night of January 1, 2007, George Michael earned a record paycheck in the form of 3 million USD for only one concert in the villa of Vladimir Olegovich Potanin on the outskirts of Moscow.
In 2007, George Michael announced the continuation of his tour which he, for the first time, performed in concerts in Moscow (July 5 & 6, 2007) and Kiev (July 9, 2007).
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George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the wayward star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis following a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a “dangerous and unpredictable mix” of prescription drugs and marijuana.
