<p>The passing away of English singer-songwriter George Michael came as a shock to musicians across genres. For many, he was an idol while for others, it was his music that they grew up listening to. They share with Metrolife their thoughts about the musician and how he had influenced them. <br /><br />Neeti Mohan<br />“My family and I have great childhood memories of him as we would celebrate Christmas singing ‘Last Christmas’. Imagine growing up listening to his music and then you learn that the legend is no more; a part of your childhood has been stolen! May his soul rest in peace and may he light up heaven with his music.”<br /><br />Benny Dayal<br />“I drew a lot of musical inspiration from George Michael when I first started. It is indeed a great loss for the entire music industry. He scripted and sang exquisitely about the marrow of life, about the corporeal things; he was the icon who wrote about lust in all its extraordinary forms, long before it became fashionable to be risque. His songs pushed music’s boundaries to a place where it was acceptable to publicly discuss our particular desires. George Michael, your contribution to the pop industry is history. You found your ‘Freedom’, your ‘Faith’ and this was your ‘Last Christmas’. We will miss you.”<br /><br />Sachin Jigar <br />“Cult musicians who make music like George Michael are rare. The world needs more musicians like him. He represented the musical revolution and his songs are very relevant in today’s time too. He defined what you called experimentation in music sensibilities. We went to sleep last night celebrating the ‘Last Christmas’ and woke up to the news that the legend is no more. My prayers are with the family.” <br /><br />Ricky kej<br />“George Michael was someone who reinvented himself throughout his career. His outlook towards music and life was very different. He was an inspirational artiste and his music was much ahead of its time. I have a lot of respect for him. Even though his music was categorised as easy listening, his lyrics had an in-depth meaning to it which is still relevant. It had the iceberg effect. Even though he is gone, his music is timeless and will live on forever.”<br /><br />bruce lee mani<br />“I started listening to George’s music because of my neighbour who was a huge fan and would keep playing his music. <br />He would play it constantly in a loop. The works were impressive and one just had to listen to them. His music has been a part of my growing up. Apart from the big titles, which everyone knows, like ‘Wake Me Up’ to ‘Careless Whisper’, I got more interested in his solo works like ‘Outside’, after all the controversy he got into. I thought that it was very adventurous and brave of him to do such a work. <br />The other big thing about him was when he did the Queen tribute. Though he might not be a direct influence to my music, he too grew up listening to blues and rock n’roll, which has deeply influenced me. We have a common bond that way.”<br /><br />(As told to Anila Kurian)<br /><br /></p>
<p>The passing away of English singer-songwriter George Michael came as a shock to musicians across genres. For many, he was an idol while for others, it was his music that they grew up listening to. They share with Metrolife their thoughts about the musician and how he had influenced them. <br /><br />Neeti Mohan<br />“My family and I have great childhood memories of him as we would celebrate Christmas singing ‘Last Christmas’. Imagine growing up listening to his music and then you learn that the legend is no more; a part of your childhood has been stolen! May his soul rest in peace and may he light up heaven with his music.”<br /><br />Benny Dayal<br />“I drew a lot of musical inspiration from George Michael when I first started. It is indeed a great loss for the entire music industry. He scripted and sang exquisitely about the marrow of life, about the corporeal things; he was the icon who wrote about lust in all its extraordinary forms, long before it became fashionable to be risque. His songs pushed music’s boundaries to a place where it was acceptable to publicly discuss our particular desires. George Michael, your contribution to the pop industry is history. You found your ‘Freedom’, your ‘Faith’ and this was your ‘Last Christmas’. We will miss you.”<br /><br />Sachin Jigar <br />“Cult musicians who make music like George Michael are rare. The world needs more musicians like him. He represented the musical revolution and his songs are very relevant in today’s time too. He defined what you called experimentation in music sensibilities. We went to sleep last night celebrating the ‘Last Christmas’ and woke up to the news that the legend is no more. My prayers are with the family.” <br /><br />Ricky kej<br />“George Michael was someone who reinvented himself throughout his career. His outlook towards music and life was very different. He was an inspirational artiste and his music was much ahead of its time. I have a lot of respect for him. Even though his music was categorised as easy listening, his lyrics had an in-depth meaning to it which is still relevant. It had the iceberg effect. Even though he is gone, his music is timeless and will live on forever.”<br /><br />bruce lee mani<br />“I started listening to George’s music because of my neighbour who was a huge fan and would keep playing his music. <br />He would play it constantly in a loop. The works were impressive and one just had to listen to them. His music has been a part of my growing up. Apart from the big titles, which everyone knows, like ‘Wake Me Up’ to ‘Careless Whisper’, I got more interested in his solo works like ‘Outside’, after all the controversy he got into. I thought that it was very adventurous and brave of him to do such a work. <br />The other big thing about him was when he did the Queen tribute. Though he might not be a direct influence to my music, he too grew up listening to blues and rock n’roll, which has deeply influenced me. We have a common bond that way.”<br /><br />(As told to Anila Kurian)<br /><br /></p>