The best musicians never listen to just one genre of music. To do so limits, hinders, and blinds a musician from seeing the broadly colorful conglomeration the world of music is. One infamous musician who wholeheartedly believed in listening to every genre is the late ’80s pop superstar, George Michael.
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Michael’s career is most notable thanks to his stint with Wham! However, the man’s talents and nuanced ear go far beyond the catchy and somewhat kitschy cultural phenomena of the ’80s pair. In his solo career, Michael released hits such as “Faith” and “Amazing.” However, his solo career would have never popped off if it wasn’t for his diverse music taste. And one artist he loved extensively was the late Amy Winehouse.
George Michael’s Thoughts on Amy Winehouse
In a Desert Island Discs interview with the BBC, Michael stated, “[Winehouse] is the best female vocalist I’ve heard in my entire career, and one of the best writers.” The song that inspired him to make such a comment was Winehouse’s haunting romance song, “Love Is a Losing Game.”
Regarding the song, Michael made a comment tragically directed to Winehouse. He said, “So, all I can say is, please, please understand how brilliant you are. And I wish her every success in the future” and “I know she can get past the media. I don’t know if she can get past…other things, but, she’s a fantastic talent, and we should support her.” Concerning the second half of his quote, Michael’s statement is rather dismal given that years after his 2007 BBC interview Winehouse tragically passed from alcohol poisoning.
In addition to the dramatic and tragic irony of the comment, Michael got vulnerable when he opened up about his affinity and relatability towards the song. He added, “I have a huge propensity for guilt…and I think I finally realized one of the reasons my life has been so extreme and has felt so” and “In some ways, self-destructive, is that, it sounds arrogant, but I never had any feeling that my talent was never going to let me down.”
“I think in a strange way I’ve spent much of the last 15 or 20 years trying to derail my own career because it never seems to suffer” and “I suffer like crazy, I suffer all around it…In some ways, I resent that,” concluded George Michael. Even though both musicians passed in juxtaposing ways, it seems they shared the tortured soul of an artist.
Photo by David Wolff – Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images
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