The ’80s British singer George Michael changed the face of pop music and remains one of the genre’s greatest artists. With memorable hits such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Everything She Wants,” the Wham! frontman and solo artist earned countless awards, including two Grammys, four MTV Video Music Awards, and three American Music Awards.
Though he was known the world over as George Michael, the entertainer was born with a different name, indicative of his Greek heritage.
The ‘Father Figure’ singer was the son of a Greek immigrant
Like many performers, the legendary singer-songwriter changed his birth name to create a more suitable stage persona. Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, he was the third child of Kyriacos Panayiotou and Lesley Angold. Michael’s father owned a restaurant in London and went by the name of Jack.
In 1986, the Live Aid performer revealed his real name during an appearance on the talk show Aspel and Company. Asked to pronounce his full name, he smiled and said it with a “perfect Greek accent,” Smooth Radio reported. As the audience cheered in delight, the artist laughed, “It sounds like ‘George Michael’ if you say it really quickly!”
Why did George Michael change his name?
In an interview with The Morning Show to promote his book, the other half of Wham!, Andrew Ridgeley, discussed the origins of Michael’s “quirky nickname.”
The guitar player revealed that Michael’s family called him “Georgios.” It sounded like “yogurt” in Cypriot Greek. He explained that the performer’s family and friends often called him by his nickname, “Yog.”
According to Rate Your Music, the artist decided to use the name “Michael” because he liked the way it sounded. The singer reportedly knew several people with that last name, including an uncle, a schoolmate, and a close friend’s father.
Despite changing his Greek name, Michael was devoted to his Cypriot heritage. According to Pappas Post, the “Faith” singer was a patron of the Thalassemia Society, a charity that benefits Greek descendants with a life-threatening genetic blood disorder. Michael’s philanthropy reportedly “touched the lives of thousands of people.”
In his book Wham! George Michael & Me: A Memoir, Ridgeley revealed that the iconic artist was “struggling with what George Michael truly meant.” Ridgeley claimed he told his old friend that “if he were to stand any chance of finding happiness, he would have to fulfill his talent,” Billboard reported.
Michael “didn’t have a choice,” Ridgeley explained. “The only thing for him to do next was claim his place as the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation.”
George Michael’s award-winning career spanned four decades
Before George Michael’s tragic death in 2016 at the age of 53, he had recorded 16 albums, 92 singles and EPs, and 14 music videos. Rolling Stone recalled that he had collaborated with icons such as Aretha Franklin and Elton John and confronted “social and sexual taboos in increasingly bold fashion on four number-one albums and a lengthy string of Top 10 singles.”
Recently, George Michael’s estate called out Canadian artist Tory Lanez for an unauthorized sampling of the pop idol’s music in the single “Enchanted Waterfall.” According to Complex, the sample comes from Michael’s 1985 hit, “Careless Whisper.” While the “Amazing” singer’s music will live on, his estate is making sure it will not be exploited.
“His sound helped to make him the pre-eminent British pop star of his generation,” the BBC said of Michael’s successful career, “but George Michael’s profound humanity and successful battle to present himself authentically is what makes him a truly great artist.”
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