Photographer Brian Aris will be publishing a compilation of George Michael photos in his book, Celebrating George, with photos ranging from the Wham! days with Andrew Ridgeley to George’s solo days.
This stunning collection of photographs features iconic George Michael images throughout his career—including many never before published.
The man born as Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou hated being photographed, and that makes this volume such an unusual and beautiful tribute to one of the music world’s most beloved stars. First meeting when he shot Wham!, Brian Aris gained George’s trust and subsequently enjoyed unprecedented access to document the complex and sensitive character behind one of pop’s most talented and consummate artists.
Dreaming of stardom from an early age, George achieved popularity first with Wham! and later reached heights of even greater success after re-creating himself as a serious solo artist with songs and music videos that remain iconic to this day. Tragically, he died on Christmas Day 2016 at just fifty-three.
With text documenting George’s life and Brian’s memories of his sessions and meetings with the star, together with iconic shots, contact sheets, and previously unseen images, this is an amazing, heartfelt tribute to one of the world’s most likable and talented performers who is one of the all-time immortal greats of pop music.
Brian Aris describes his time photographing George Michael:
“From the early days, when he first burst on the scene in 1981 as one half of Wham!, the pop duo he formed with Andrew Ridgeley, to the later years when he went on to enjoy even greater worldwide success as a sophisticated and glamorous solo artist, George was always fascinating to work with.”
A few of you might remember my complaining last year that there was no 40th anniversary celebration of Wham!’s historic trip to China in 1985. Well, it looks like we might be getting a treat in 2026.
In 1985, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of the duo Wham! became the first Western pop act to perform in communist China. It’s a much talked about publicity stunt by Simon Napier-Bell to make Wham! a household name worldwide.
According to a press release, Zinc Media Group plc announced the completion of a new feature-length, 90-minute documentary produced for Sony Music Entertainment telling the story of WHAM!’s historic 1985 tour of China:
Wham! 10 Days in China uses newly restored and previously unseen archive footage alongside new interviews with Andrew Ridgeley to reveal the full story of the first Western pop act to perform in communist China. The concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou marked a significant cultural moment as Western pop music was introduced to Chinese audiences for the first time.
With the restored footage and exclusive interviews with Andrew Ridgeley and members of the touring party, the documentary will be a long-awaited look at the unseen footage.
The new documentary is directed by Mike Christie (Nick Cave’s Veiled World, New Order: Decades).
“The existence of this footage has been a mystery for years, spoken about in fragments but never truly seen. The story of the tour is intensely dramatic and finding a way to tell it in a form that the Wham! collective felt was finally worth pursuing has been a real honour.”
In the 1980s, a Wham! in China documentary was released. In fact, there are two versions of the original Wham! in China documentary. Oscar-winning filmmaker, Lindsay Anderson, was originally hired to create the documentary. Because of conflicts, Lindsay Anderson’s version has been rarely seen, except for a screening of Wham in China: If You Were There in May of 2024. More information on the conflict is available in the previous link.
“Last Christmas” debuted on Billboard’s Holiday 100 in December 10, 2011, at #10. This year Wham!’s holiday hit made it to #2, just behind Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
“I’m delighted to learn that Wham!’s perennial Christmas favorite, ‘Last Christmas,’ has secured the Billboard No. 2 spot this week,” Andrew Ridgeley marvels via email. “Since its release over 40 years ago, ‘Last Christmas’ has established itself worldwide as one of the most cherished Christmas classics, beloved by all generations.” “It’s an amazing testament to the special place the song occupies in so many hearts and one that George Michael would have been immensely proud of,” he continues. “Thank you, everyone who has embraced the song as a little piece of their own merry Christmas.”
“Last Christmas” topped the Billboard Global 200 this year, becoming the #1 song in the world.
According to Billboard:
Michael’s estate described “Last Christmas” as “a timeless record that embodies the very sound of Christmas and continues to resonate with audiences, while captivating new listeners around the world. Thank you to everyone who keeps this song at the very heart of Christmas.”
You can read more about “Last Christmas” in the following articles:
George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” is #1 on 2025’s All Time Top 500 for Smooth Radio. It is the seventh year in a row that “Careless Whisper” has topped the chart, and the eighth year at #1.
Andrew Ridgeley spoke to Smooth Radio about “Careless Whisper” reaching number one for the eighth year:
In the top 10, George Michael’s “A Different Corner” ranked at #3 for another year and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” George’s duet with Elton John, moved up two spots to the #9 spot.
George Michael Rankings in Smooth’s Top 500
George Michael had a total of 19 songs in Smooth’s Top 500. Most songs moved up in the rankings, with the exception of “One More Try” and “The Edge of Heaven.” Here is the ranking:
#1 “Careless Whisper”
#3 “A Different Corner” (same as last year)
#9 “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (duet with Elton John) (moved up from #11 last year)
#23 “Jesus to a Child” (moved up from #31 last year)
#32 “Father Figure” (moved up from #48 last year)
#56 “Somebody to Love” (with Queen) (moved up from #80 last year)
#67 “FastLove” (moved up from #104 last year)
#82 “Club Tropicana” (moved up from #105 last year)
#86 “Praying for Time” (moved up from #138 last year)
#97 “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (moved up from #140 last year)
#105 “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (duet with Aretha Franklin) (moved up from #114 last year)
#108 “Faith” (moved up from #116 last year)
#110 “One More Try” (dropped from #109 last year)
#114 “Everything She Wants” (moved up from #178 last year)
#117 “Freedom 90” (moved up from #169 last year)
#138 “I’m Your Man” (moved up from #163 last year)
#274 “As” (duet with Mary J. Blige) (moved up from #313 last year)
#288 “Freedom” (moved up from #320 last year)
#323 “The Edge of Heaven” (dropped from #284 last year)
“Heal the Pain” dropped out of the Top 500 this year. Last year it was #453.
40th Anniversary “Last Christmas” CD Single Amazon Ad
Happy Christmas indeed!
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” was number 1 in the UK last week and is the Christmas number 1 this week! This is the second consecutive year for “Last Christmas” to be the number 1 song for the week of Christmas in the UK!
Don’t miss out on Andrew Ridgeley’s response to “Last Christmas” topping the Christmas chart again this year:
George Michael would have been delighted that all his Lovelies keep bringing this lovely holiday classic to number 1 year after year! It’s especially wonderful as this is the 40th anniversary of the release of “Last Christmas,” which at the time only reached number 2 because Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was 1984’s Christmas number 1.
“Last Christmas” also reached #3 on Billboard’s Top 100 on December 14, 2024.
Andrew Ridgeley gave an interview to Billboard and said of “Last Christmas” charting so high on Billboard:
“Well, extremely satisfying. You know, Yog [a nickname for Wham!’s other half, the late George Michael, who died in 2016], we placed a great deal of importance on being a success in the States. It was, for any artist, of that era… you were nowhere unless you were a big deal in the States. You could be a big noise in the U.K., but the States was the golden prize, really. We were fortunate enough… and one or two of our contemporaries, we had great success in the States.”
We have also had the lovely Christmas gift of “Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped,” which is available for viewing on the BBC2, Roku, and Netflix. The show brings together most of the friends in the “Last Christmas” video, including Andrew Ridgeley, Shirlie Kemp, and Pepsi DeMacque.
What did you think of WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped? Tell us in the comments.
Read more about the 40th anniversary of “Last Christmas” in the following articles:
