Singer George Michael says he's sorry
for disappointing young gay people.
Three years after he said he would
quit performing live, the 47-year-old Michael on Wednesday announced
he's going on tour. During a press conference at London's Royal
Opera House, Michael said his concert would include a symphony
orchestra.
The former Wham! star added that he'll
record a new album during breaks in the tour.
βI felt it was really what I want to
do as an artist,β he said.
The Faith singer spent 28 days
in prison last year and fined nearly $2,000 for crashing his Range
Rover into a Snappy Snaps 1 hour photo shop in north London. Michael
pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs.
He was also arrested in 1998 for lewd
conduct in a Los Angeles men's room. The incident forced the
reluctant singer to come out gay.
In an interview with BANG Showbiz,
Michael talked about his string of troubles with the law and how it
relates to him as a role model to young gay people.
βIt's really a matter of thinking
what can I do to contribute as a gay man, because I have a serious
problem with the fact that every time I would let myself down I felt
definitely that I was letting young gay people down, because they
would then witness the homophobia that is thrown at me and the
wording of that homophobia and the language that is being used,β he
said.
Earlier this year, Michael released a
cover of New Order's True Faith. (The video is embedded in
the right panel of this page.)