Michael, George (1963– )

English pop singer. His career began in the early 1980s as a member of the pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley (1963– ). He went on to have a successful solo career with a more diverse following and a range of musical styles, from slow ballads to up-tempo pop to jazz- and soul-influenced songs.

Michael released his first solo record, the UK number one single ‘Careless Whisper’, in 1984. His solo success continued with ‘A Different Corner’ (1986) and ‘ I Knew You Were Waiting For Me’ (with the US soul singer Aretha Franklin, 1987), both of which were UK number one singles. His solo albums are Faith (1987), Listen Without Prejudice (1990), Older (1996), Ladies and Gentlemen, The Best of George Michael (1998), Songs from the Last Century (1999), and Patience (2004).

Michael was born and grew up in London. With schoolmate Ridgeley, he formed his first band, The Executive, in 1981. With Wham! (1982–86) they achieved their first UK and US number one with ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-go’ in 1984. Their albums were Fantastic (1983), Make It Big (1984), and The Final/Music From the Edge of Heaven (1986).