(Credits: Spotify)
Sun 14 December 2025 9:00, UK
The festive season is in full swing, so that means two things: George Michael is getting trotted out on the radio, and middle-aged mothers everywhere are slumping into sadness remembering that he died on Christmas Day.
Of course, it should go without saying that this is a tongue-in-cheek reduction of the true star power that Michael actually possessed. He was a titan of pop music who represented so much more than the legacy of one Christmas hit that still sees him shoot to the top of the charts most years. There was no denying that he knew exactly who he was.
Michael’s embodiment of this particular brand was so strong that sometimes it proved to come at the cost of his own personal identity. He was the teen heartthrob, then the bona fide pop prince, but the byproduct of this was being a heteronormative icon, forcing him to hide his sexuality for many years. Even still, but especially back then, those were the consequences of playing the pop game.
However, with this said, it was also something that Michael was more than aware of as he was making his first steps into the industry, knowing that he had a very specific appeal to sell. The trouble was, as time gradually wore on, it meant that audiences trapped him inside that box without realising the true depths of his sonic appreciations.
The essential thing to take heed of here is that Michael knew inherently that he was never going to be the most avant garde, boundary-pushing artist. Pop chart hits were his safe lane, and frankly there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. The issue with having that reputation, however, is that people only view you as a one-dimensional entity.
“It’s not like I don’t love records that aren’t symmetrical and poppy — I grew up listening to Joy Division,” the singer once explained, adding, “but I always knew that wasn’t what I was supposed to do, that wasn’t where my talent was.”
People tend to classify mainstream genres under one umbrella, whether it’s punk or new wave or Britpop, but that does a complete disservice to artists like Michael who would more often hit the top of the charts, while the rest were left to grow their followings more incrementally.
It speaks to a much wider and longstanding discourse on the concept of pop snobbery, where artists like Michael were considered rudimentary and uninformed despite their massive success. Of course, if you’re consistently topping the charts and rolling in the cash, it’s not as if you’re going to stray too far from your winning formula – but it doesn’t mean you’re not able to stick your head above the parapet, either.
That’s exactly what the Wham frontman recognised to be his inner strength – being a prince of pop, but equally never letting people know his next move. Joy Division and any other anti-pop crusade were more than entitled to have their moment, but ultimately, the charts, the record sales, and the thousands of screaming fans don’t lie. There could only be one king.
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