George Michael’s Music Surges On Spotify, iTunes Following His Death

Robbie Daw | December 26, 2016 2:45 pm

As is usually the case with musician deaths — see David Bowie and Prince — streams and sales of George Michael‘s solo material and output with Wham! have jumped considerably over the past day. Michael passed away on Sunday, December 25, at the age of 53, due to what’s being reported as heart failure.

According to Spotify, streams of Michael’s solo music have seen a  whopping 3,158% increase globally. The top five songs on the music-streaming service are:

1. “Last Christmas” (Wham!) 2. “Careless Whisper” (solo) 3. “Faith” (solo) 4. “Freedom! ’90” (solo) 5. “Wake Me up Before You Go-Go” (Wham)

More:: George Michael: 11 Key Collaborations, From Band Aid To Beyonce

Over on iTunes, Michael’s debut solo album Faith is at #5, while two-disc hits collections Twenty Five and Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best Of George Michael are sitting at #12 and #14, respectively. The singer’s 1990 sophomore LP Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 is #22.

George Michael’s most-downloaded songs at iTunes currently are as follows:

“Careless Whisper” (#25) “Freedom ’90” (#33) “Faith” (#36) “Father Figure” (#41) “I Want Your Sex” (#50) “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (#52) “One More Try” (#57) “Kissing A Fool” (#185)

Wham’s most-downloaded songs are iTunes at the moment are:

“Last Christmas” (#54) “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (#64) “Everything She Wants” (#98)

Given his death on a Sunday, the full impact of Michael’s death won’t be reflected on the main Billboard charts until next week.

Keep up with more pop music news by hitting us up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.