George Michael

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The artist formerly known as Yorgos Kyriatou Panaioutou has always relished projecting one oversexed, white soul boy persona or another, whether as a shuttlecock-enhanced young roue in teen dream duo Wham!, biker jacket rebel on debut solo effort Faith (1987) or, more latterly, as chin-stroking urban lounger on songs like "Fast Love" and "Flawless (Go To The City)". But if his silken vocals and perfectly mannered poise suggest a man in full control of the media machine, trials and tribulations away from the microphone reveal otherwise. An ill-judged and very public battle with record label Sony ended badly, though more damaging was his arrest in 1998 for lewd conduct in a Los Angeles public toilet -- an incident that forced the singer to come out of the closet. It did at least help pierce his multimillionaire's bubble and provided a source of inspiration, with the event amusingly lampooned in the video accompanying the single "Outside".