Pepsi and Shirley Reflect on ‘Last Christmas’ After 40 Years and George Michael’s Enduring Legacy: ‘His Life Was All About Music’

Celebrating the Legacy of George Michael

Pepsi and Shirley reflect on the 40th anniversary of Wham! “Last Christmas” is about how George Michael fulfilled his legacy and how they still feel his presence eight years after his death on Christmas Day.

The pair performed backed by singers and dancers from 1980s pop duo Andrew Ridgeley and Michael. In 1984, they all flew to the Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee to film a video for the song “Last Christmas”, which Michael believed was destined to become a Christmas number one – and a fourth Wham chart topper! – this year. The day after filming the snowy promo, Michael returned to London to sing on Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” — which eventually overtook “Last Christmas” for the coveted holiday number one spot.

Since then, “Last Christmas” has been covered by countless artists, including Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter was recently joined by Chappell Roane, making it officially the fourth best-selling single of all time in the UK. At the time of writing, it is number two in the table.

Talking to NME, Shirley Kemp said she felt a responsibility to preserve the legacy of Michael’s work. “It’s surreal to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Last Christmas,” she said. “Also, it feels like we’re here to speak for George, because his music was his world, it was what he loved.”

A Lasting Christmas Cheer

While Last Christmas has already topped the top 40 during the Christmas period three times, 2023 marked the first time it peaked on the day itself. Asked how Michael would have reacted, Kemp responded enthusiastically: “We would have been at his house for a party because he loved being number one!” And he loved Christmas. He would be relaxed and happy, opening the door with an excited, “That’s right! Come see my tree!” Every year he hosted homey, cozy Christmas parties.

DeMcCrockett added, “George was always around gifts and enjoyed passing them on to his friends. Years later, he would make sure we all got hampers and Christmas didn’t come until you got a George Michael hamper from Fortnum & Mason.”

“Last Christmas” is currently the favorite to be crowned Christmas number one again for the second year in a row, and in a repeat of the 1984 chart battle, it goes up against Band Aid 40. The odds are against Wham! Last Christmas 40th Anniversary EP and BBC Two documentary airing tomorrow (December 14).

Memorable Moments and Fond Memories

Watch our full interview below, where Pepsi and Shirley also reminisce about drunken antics in the Alps, “bizarre” incognito caroling with Wham!, discuss whether Michael would like a reunion, and share their thoughts on the many “Last Christmas Covers.”

NME: Hello, Pepsi and Shirley! The filming of “Last Christmas” seems like an unforgettable event that began when one of the Wham! members erupted into the pool filter, culminating in a naked steeplechase across hotel balconies. What do you remember?

Pepsi: “All this! Shirley and I tried to avoid a lot of it, so there was even more going on that we didn’t know about. What people didn’t know about the video was that the glasses contained real wine, so we all got pretty tipsy! It was raucous. We were upset. Returning to Saas-Fee to film the BBC documentary, there were many moments when I thought, “I don’t remember this,” such as when I saw the mountains and breathed the fresh air. We were just sitting in the chalet making videos, getting angry, and there was a lot of noise around.”

It looks like you’ll be going caroling at Wham! before Christmas with inflatable dolls. What was the reaction of the residents?

Shirley: “Nobody knew because we were wearing long wigs! In this long curly wig, I looked like Louis XIV. It was strange.”

Pepsi: “I held the (charity) can while we all sang ‘Jingle Bells.’ The person standing at the door might have thought, “Who are these people?” Then suddenly you’ll see their expression change when the penny drops, and you’ll see that it was George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi, and Shirley… and blow-up dolls! There was a time when we got on buses, went from pub to pub, knocked on people’s doors. It was amazing and very silly.”

Shirley, after George Michael’s death you said that “Last Christmas” became painful to listen to. Can you enjoy it again now?

Shirley: “Yes, I’m much happier now because I think that’s his legacy and it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re still talking about him. He would hate that if we didn’t talk about him! He said: “Wait, don’t forget me!”, and I heard him. And I know his sense of humor, so he would be very angry if we weren’t here now discussing his talent, voice, and songs, because that was his whole goal. Every moment of his life was devoted to music. You’d get in his car, and he’d play you demos of songs he’d written. Sometimes I hear him say, “Don’t forget to tell them about it.” I feel like he’s saying, “Don’t forget about me.” And we won’t – never.”

Shirley, George was your best friend, and that close relationship was reflected in your reaction when he played you his demos…

Shirley: “If I played him a song I wrote, he’d say, “Well, where’s the chorus?!” I thought, “You’re a cheeky bastard!” So whenever he played me something, I would always say, “Yeah, but where’s the chorus?” (Laughs) It was our little joke.”

Did he play you any of the early versions of the tracks that ended up becoming hits?

Shirley: “Careless Whisper” was the first thing I heard long before Wham! or record contracts because he wrote it when he was 17. I just picked Andrew up, and he played me the tape of “Careless Whisper.” I remember hearing this and chilling, thinking I had never heard such male vocals. I had an absolute feeling that everyone would know about George, that this was his destiny and that this would always happen to him.”

Pepsi: “While on tour with Wham! there was a moment when George sang the solo “Careless Whisper,” and we looked at him in fascination, knowing that one day he would become That “George Michael.” A solo career was inevitable.”

Shirley: “That’s why when Wham! split (in 1986), it was such a happy time because we knew he was going to take it to the next level.”

Andrew Ridgeley argued that Wham! was never intended to relive adolescence, and the reunion would never have happened if George had still been alive. Do you agree?

Shirley: “I don’t know. In one of my last conversations with George he said, ‘The best time of my life was when we were younger in Wham!’, so maybe that’s what happened because he was a man who was very nostalgic – he liked to talk about the past. These were his best days with more freedom before he became a global solo artist. You become a prisoner of the fame that he experienced, so he always told me: “My best times were with Wham!

What was it like returning to the Swiss Alps scenes from the “Last Christmas” video this year?

Pepsi: “Obviously George wasn’t there, but we knew he would be so happy if we were there and he was all around us while we were there. There were moments when I was out of breath because I wanted him to be there, but his energy was there.”

Last Christmas is currently the bookmakers’ favorite to top the Christmas chart again this year…

Shirley: “Let’s hope so!”

Reflecting the events of 1984, it competes with Band Aid 40…

Shirley: “When I saw that Band Aid had made a documentary, I thought, ‘Oh no!’ This is funny. History repeats itself, but whichever song takes first place is a win-win.”

Would George like to be Christmas number one two years in a row?

Pepsi: “Certainly he would! He Always should have been number one. Hello?!“

Suddenly, the Pepsi Zoom screen goes dark and animated fireworks explode in the background.

Pepsi: “This is a sign! It was George!

Shirley: “I’m telling you, he’s still here. There are a lot of signs from him.

How does he make his presence felt?

Shirley: “This time last year I visited a medium and she spoke about George, but in a less obvious way. She said: “You had a friend who died, but he wants to tell you that he will be with you in the mountains.” I couldn’t understand what she was talking about because I don’t ski. Then, in February of this year, we got a call saying we were going to Saas-Fee. When I was telling everyone this story in the mountains, all these fir trees suddenly fell down, like a domino effect. And I know George was there.”

Pepsi: “And now he’s showing us that he’s here with the sparkles!”

So many artists, including Beyoncé, Blossoms and Jimmy Eat World, have covered “Last Christmas”…

Shirley: “However, no one does it like George! I listen to them all and think that no one does it like him. I’m never impressed. I just think, no, leave it alone. There were times when we (Pepsi and Shirley) thought about singing this song and then realized: “Don’t even think about it!”

Can any famous pop artists today write a timeless Christmas classic?

Pepsi: “When it comes to Christmas songs, this is a case of not being too self-conscious. You need a little cheese, glitter, and tinsel, and throw caution to the wind. I think a lot of actors are too conscious of how they look or are perceived. The great thing about Last Christmas is that it is based on true friendship, which creates a warm nostalgia.”

An EP dedicated to the 40th anniversary of “Last Christmas” has been released. Listen and order here. Wham!: The Last Unwrapped Christmas will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 14 December.