Just a few months shy of the one-year anniversary of his untimely death, new(ish) George Michael material has surfaced with the help of legendary producer Nile Rodgers.
On Friday (September 8), "Fantasy," which appeared as a B-side to 1990's "Freedom '90" 12-inch and on the 2011 deluxe edition of Faith, premiered on Chris Evans' BBC Radio 2 show, but it's not just an old outtake. Even though the reimagined cut features the groove of the original, you can also hear some new guitar additions from Rodgers. It also appears to feature previously unheard vocals. "Fantasy" will appear on the re-release of Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged, which is due October 20.
Rodgers recently took to Twitter to sound off on the track. "This process was extremely emotional for me," he wrote. "We were such massive fans of each other's work. #Christmas2016 was very sad." Later on, he told listeners that they "should have mixed feelings" about the release. "No one's heart was dragged through emotional ambiguity more than mine. Tears, uncertainty, happiness & #LOVE," he wrote. "We were planning an entire new album but this was the 1st thing @GeorgeMichael wanted done and the reason will become obvious very soon.."
Photo: Getty Images