George Michael has an interview with Wales Online.  Here is a recap:

On the Symphonica Tour

“And my audiences are just so amazing now, they really are. I can sort of feel their love and gratitude when I’m on stage and I think that comes from them having so many of their life experiences attached to my music over the  years.”

“One of the ways they’ve (his fans) shown their appreciation to me on this tour is by being so patient with the songs I’m performing. I’m sure there have been numbers that they’ve never heard of, or the occasional jazz standard or whatever, but they’ve just seemed totally prepared to go on this musical journey with me. I think that really shows the level of fans that I have.”

On the Pneumonia and Coma

“What I do remember, though, was feeling this terrible, terrible guilt and pity for what my family, friends and my new partner had to see me go through,” he admits.

“They literally spent two or three weeks not knowing if I was going to make it, and if that had happened to me in reverse – if it had been one of my sisters fighting for her life – well I know I’d have been absolutely devastated.

“For my part, though, I didn’t realise the danger I was in until after it was all over.”

On “White Light” and the New Album

“It’s really a celebration of my coming through pneumonia last year,” he says of his new single. “Pretty much everything I do is autobiographical, and in this case, having come close to death, I knew something good musically would come out of it. A lot of people were expecting me to write a ballad, but I wanted something uplifting and positive, hence the dance track.”

George says the new album is “going very well”.

“I’d say this album lies somewhere between Faith and Older in terms of content and it’s probably the most radio-friendly album I’ve made in a long, long time. It’s pretty upbeat and I’m sure that my fans will like it, although I’ll be waiting for them to let me know which tracks they think will be the potential classics. I haven’t settled on a title yet, so watch this space. I think it’ll be out early next year.”

On Success

“I don’t know how it happened, I really don’t. But I’m still here and my new single really kind of says I’m not ready to go anywhere. In my business, success is something that can sort of slip away from people after a while. And not just success but also the inspiration and the self-doubt that’s needed to keep you trying to do better.”

“For me there’s always this possibility that you’ve lost something that you’re not aware of. And that’s exciting, you know. Because the day that I’m not  worried anymore is the day that I should stop. I think if you’re complacent about your talent then it can definitely drift. That’s much less likely to happen if you realise what a privilege it is to be talented and successful in this business.”

You can read more in George Michael on his near-death experience, new album and career.

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