Pepsi & Shirlie on ‘Last Christmas’ at 40 and George Michael’s legacy: “Every single moment of his life was dedicated to music”

nme.com:

Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’, how George Michael fulfilled his legacy, and how they still feel his presence eight years after his death on Christmas Day.The pair were backing singers and dancers for Andrew Ridgeley and Michael’s ’80s pop duo.

In 1984, they all flew to the Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee to shoot the video to ‘Last Christmas’, which Michael was convinced was destined to become the Christmas Number One – and Wham!’s fourth chart-topper – that year.

The day after filming the snow-filled promo, Michael returned to London to sing on Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ – which ultimately beat ‘Last Christmas’ to the coveted festive Number One spot.Since then, ‘Last Christmas’ has been covered by countless artists including Taylor Swift and recently, Sabrina Carpenter joined by Chappell Roan, and it officially ranks as the fourth highest-selling single of all time in the UK.

At the time of writing, it is at Number Two in the chart.Speaking to NME, Shirlie Kemp said she felt a responsibility to keep the legacy of Michael’s work alive. “It feels surreal to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of ‘Last Christmas’,” she said. “Also, it feels like we’re here to talk on George’s behalf because his music was his world, it was what he loved.”Although ‘Last Christmas’ has topped the Top 40 around the Christmas period three times before, 2023 marked the first time it reached the peak on the actual day itself.