UNITED KINGDOM: Following a string of warmly received concerts across Europe, George Michael kicks off the UK leg of his Symphonica Tour at London's Royal Albert Hall

Record ID: 191165

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Following a string of warmly received concerts across Europe, George Michael kicks off the UK leg of his Symphonica Tour at London's Royal Albert Hall
  • Date: 24th November 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 25, 2011) (REUTERS) MICHAEL TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE MICHAEL, ON THE FOCUS OF HIS NEXT ALBUM, SAYING "Oh no, also it's very much gonna be, you know, lyrics I've never been, gone near before for various reasons, so I think as a songwriter I want this album to really stretch me some, you know, in another direction so."
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA56IITDXCJJ4PUK2AK7DQ41TZY
  • Story Text: After 2010 proving to be a rather tumultuous year for George Michael, the singer has been working on re-launching his music career.
    Michael, who just returned from a series of gigs in Poland, Italy, Denmark and Germany played his first of four sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the "Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour" on Tuesday (October 25).
    Speaking of his on stage ensemble, which include a 41- piece orchestra, the Wham! singer describes the last weeks as "amazing" and "a completely different experience".
    "It's everything I dreamed (of)", adding that "the crowds have been absolutely fantastic."
    The sell-out crowd on Tuesday night was entertained by a range of covers and songs, including "Through" from the 2004 album "Patience" and jazz standard "My Baby just Cares for Me".
    Michael has so far opted for a different approach, avoiding some of his big hits and instead concentrating on his vocal performance.
    "It's just recently turned into, really I can feel myself becoming a better singer every night, you know what I mean. So it's really what I wanted from this apart from everybody else. I want to kind of bring, choose songs that I can showcase my voice because then I've kind of given my fans both types of show. You know I did three years with a greatest hits thing and this is really about my voice."
    The singer also spoke about his upcoming record. While he mentioned in recent interviews plans for a more electronic album, Michael confirmed that song-writing will very much form an important part of the next project.
    "It's very much gonna be, you know, lyrics I've never been, gone near before for various reasons, so I think as a songwriter I want this album to really stretch me some, you know, in another direction so," he said.
    The 'Symphonica' tour is Michael's first musical outing since leaving jail last October after spending a month for crashing his car into a corner shop in North London while under the influence of drugs.
    But for Michael this is now a matter of the past and he is glad the focus has shifted back to his music once more: "Oh yeah, it makes a nice change, doesn't it?"
    In the coming weeks Michael's orchestral tour will continue to play at venues in Cardiff, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester.
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