Voice of George Michael returns with remix of 'Fantasy'

[September 07, 2017]  LONDON (Reuters) - British pop singer George Michael, who died last year, returned to the airwaves on Thursday with the release of a remix of his song "Fantasy," leaving fans split on the decision to bring back his voice.

The remix of the 1987 solo track was broadcast on Britain’s BBC radio and released online more than eight months after the death of Michael, a Grammy award winner, on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53.

"What a brilliant song, great hearing him sing again, what a great gift sent from him, always in our hearts and soul," Twitter user Tracie McMath posted on the social media site.

Others were less impressed by the remix which was produced by Nile Rodgers, best known as the brains behind 1970s funk band Chic and who was a friend of Michael.

“The 'new' George Michael song still sounds unfinished," Debbie M said on Twitter. "I love Nile, but he really should have just left it alone."

Rodgers said he had mixed feelings about the song, which made him happy and sad at the same time.

"This process was extremely emotional for me," Rodgers said. "No one's heart was dragged through emotional ambiguity more than mine."

Michael started his career with the band Wham! before launching a solo career that led to songs such as "Faith", "Father Figure" and "Careless Whisper."

(Reporting by Nathan Lake; Editing by William Schomberg)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.