Faith

Faith is George Michael’s first solo album, released in October 1987 via Columbia Records/Epic Records. The album is considered by some to be one of the greatest albums in pop music history, and won several awards including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1989. The album was an instant commercial success in the United States, selling more than 1 million copies in its debut, the most copies ever sold in a week by a British pop artist. To date, the album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and received diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Faith spawned six top 5 singles that substantially helped it dominate the chart of 1988. In 2003, the album was ranked number 480 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

After the split of Wham!, Michael spent the most part of 1987 writing and recording the songs for his breakthrough project. In addition to playing a large number of instruments on the album, he wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, “Look at Your Hands”, which he co-wrote with David Austin. Using the then-revolutionary Synclavier 9600 Tapeless Studio, Faith was Michael’s first digital recording. A contemporary R&B album, Faith showcases the vocals of Michael in a new-style mode. It features songs littered with introspective lyrics, generating controversies about Michael’s personal relationships at that time.

The public speculated that 1988 was the year of George Michael. The success of the album put him in the mainstream, becoming the biggest artist of 1988. Others also said that George Michael might be the successor of Elton John.