People, who were teenagers in the 90s, might be hurt on hearing the split of the rock band Wham!! Those were the days when people blindly follow their idols. Fans try to copy their favorite star the most they can. The band split is very disappointing for the fans. However, over the years, many rock bands split, and one such was Wham!! Fans wonder, When did Wham Split? Moreover, people still wanna know where are the members of Wham Now? Wham is an English duo band consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
They were the most successful band of the 80s, with sales records of more than 30million certified records. Wham!! ‘s debut album Fantastic was influenced by funk and soul music and presented themselves as disaffected youth. It addressed England’s unemployment problem as well as teen angst over adulthood. In 1984, the band released their second studio album, Make It Big. It became a worldwide pop smash hit. Moreover, making its debut at number one in both the UK and the USA charts. Their smash hit singles include “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Careless Whisper”, and “Everything She Wants.” However, the Wham!’s split ended their hit machine. Let’s delve into the article and find out when did Wham Split?
Wham! Was formed in the year 1982. Michael and Andrew met at Bushey Meads School at Hertfordshire. Initially, the two started performing under the name “The Executive.” Their Former schoolmates David Mortimer, Andrew Leaver, Harry Tadayon, and Paul Ridgeley joined them in a short-lived ska band. When this group disbanded, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley went on to become Wham! The adolescent duo swiftly signed to a record company. Moreover, a graphic design studio gave the exclamation mark to the band name before becoming famous with their first huge song, Young Guns in 1982.
The pop band of the 80s, Wham!!
In 1985, the Wham embarked on a global tour that included a historic visit to China. The hit machine continued, and they released the songs like “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, “Careless Whisper” and ” Last Christmas/Everything She Wants.” The track ‘Last Christmas / Everything She Wants” became the highest-selling number two single in the UK charts. Moreover, it stays at the top spot for five weeks. Eventually became the 24th best-selling single in the UK, selling 1.5 million copies. Despite their success, the Wham split at the peak of their career. Indeed, it was very disappointing for the fans.
The Wham! Splits in 1986. George Michael wanted to make music for a more sophisticated adult audience rather than the teenage audience. Hence, the two announced the breakup of Wham!. However, Before they parted ways, they had released a goodbye song named “The Edge of Heaven.” George remarked of the breakup, “I think it should be the most amicable split in music history. “Wham! bids adieu to their fans and each other with an emotional embrace at the end of their final concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. On a blisteringly hot day in London, 72,000 people attended the eight-hour concert just to say goodbye to the Wham. The Wham had been together for five years and had sold more than 28 million LPs and around 15 million singles.
Wham’s members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
When Wham split up, many assumed it was because they couldn’t get along. However, this was not the case, with George later claiming that the band disbanded for creative reasons. Michael has stated that he wants to “write to more honest feelings in his tracks, making songs that people can directly relate to.”George Michael said that after Wham split up, he was despondent for eight months. Moreover, he said he “didn’t know who he was anymore.” In 1988, he cited, “The difficulty was simply that I had built a character for the outside world that wasn’t myself.”
