Who really was George Michael? The new documentary GEORGE MICHAEL: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST (Amazon Prime Video, Apple iTunes, Google Play), details just that.

Told candidly from the people who really knew him best – his music manager Simon Napier-Bell, his longtime lover and partner Kenny Goss, fellow luminaries Stevie Wonder, Rufus Wainwright, Stephen Fry, and many more.

By far the most definitive feature documentary on George’s amazing life, the film explores the many ups and downs of the illustrious Grammy Award winner, considered one of the best-selling musicians of all time with sales of over 120 million records worldwide. We would love to set up an interview with you and the film’s director, Simon Napier-Bell and/or Kenny Goss to discuss the importance of the documentary and George’s legacy, as well as share anecdotes about who he really was.

Born in North London, George Michael rose to fame as member of the pop duo Wham! with their first two albums reaching #1 on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, with hit singles including “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Last Christmas”. Simon Napier-Bell managed their career, helping establish them as a global act and the driving force behind their groundbreaking Beijing concert, the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, which generated worldwide media coverage.

George’s first solo single, “Careless Whisper”, reached number one in over 20 countries including the UK and the US, with his debut album Faith topping the UK charts and staying at number one for 12 straight weeks on the Billboard 200. Globally it sold 25 million copies, and four singles from the album—”Faith”, “Father Figure”, “One More Try”, and “Monkey”—reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988, and Faith was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards.

But with all of his success, George fought a continuous internal battle with his identity and public persona. Outside music, he was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser.

His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines during the late 1990s and 2000s, as he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and was arrested for multiple drug-related offences after that time. In 1996 George began a decade long romantic relationship with artist Kenny Goss, and in 1998 he came out as gay publicly for the first time. George suffered from substance abuse for many years, but in 2008 had a major comeback tour with the release of Twenty Five in celebration of his 25 years in music.

George died at the age of 53 on Christmas in 2016 due to natural causes related to heart and liver disease.

Following his death, many charities and individuals posted on social media about George’s generous philanthropic acts and how he often donated his time and much of his wealth anonymously. The pop star avoided making headlines for his many acts of kindness, which included volunteering at a homeless shelter, paying for a woman’s fertility treatments and tipping a waitress thousands of dollars to help her pay for her nursing school debts.

The documentary GEORGE MICHAEL: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST dives deeper into who George really was – a kind and generous person who ultimately fought many demons while being front and center as one of the most famous musicians of his time – through never before heard anecdotal stories of his closest friends and allies.

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George Michael’s brand new single This Is How (We Want You To Get High), Previously unreleased song is his first music to be shared since 2012.

This Is How (We Want You To Get High) – a funky, upbeat classic -provides perfect finale to Last Christmas, a new movie inspired by the music of George Michael and Wham!

George Michael gave the world some of the greatest ever pop songs, including arguably the greatest ever Christmas record. Now, some 35 years on from the iconic Last Christmas, another festive treat has come for his millions of fans across the world. 

The previously unreleased track, which was recorded during George’s final studio sessions, is his first original material to be shared for seven years.

A funky, upbeat soon-to-be-classic, This is How (We Want You to Get High) has a seductive George Michael hook and melody that will delight his legion of loyal fans and electrify a whole new audience. The lyrics, written exclusively by George, see the star addressing society’s ills with his trademark blend of self-deprecation and wry humour. 

Work on This is How (We Want You to Get High) began in early 2012. The track was subsequently developed and recorded in sessions at Air Studios in London, before the finishing touches were added in late 2015 during George’s final recording sessions. 

With its uplifting vibe and socially-conscious message, This is How (We Want You to Get High) is a fitting finale to Last Christmas, Universal Pictures’ new romantic comedy. The film was inspired by the eponymous Wham! hit, and has a soundtrack featuring three Wham! tracks and twelve songs from George Michael’s solo career. Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Mad Men) describes the movie as ‘a love letter to George’.

The film was co-scripted by Academy Award®winner Emma Thompson, who stars alongside Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians). Thompson visited George at his North London home in the Spring of 2013 to talk through her ideas for the screenplay. George loved what she had to say and gave his blessing. The actress and screenwriter then developed various versions of the script before George’s sudden passing on Christmas Day 2016.

In the Spring of 2018, after discussions over which songs would be in the film, Emma Thompson was given an exclusive preview of four new, finished and unreleased George Michael tracks. She instantly fell in love with This Is How (We Want You To Get High), remarking how the lyrics resonated with the film’s central themes. 

The film Last Christmas is now released in the United States on  November 8, the United Kingdom on November 15 and on assorted dates throughout the rest of the world until 27 December 2019. The Soundtrack out now.

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