George Michael was an English singer-songwriter, record producer and philanthropist. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart. Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was listed among Billboard's the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and Rolling Stone's the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
Michael performing in Houston, 1988
Michael (left) and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham!, c. 1984–1985
Michael performed at Live Aid at the old Wembley Stadium (exterior pictured) on 13 July 1985, and Wham! played their last concert, The Final, at the same venue on 28 June 1986.
Garth Brooks and Michael at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, 29 April 2000
The Billboard Music Awards are honors given out annually by Billboard, a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The Billboard Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of the years 2007 through 2010. The event was previously staged in December, but has been held in May since returning in 2011. On October 19, 2023, it was announced that the award ceremony will be reformatted as a digital-only show and move from broadcast television to its website and Billboard's social media pages, starting with the 2023 edition on November 19.
Image: Morgan Wallen performing at Freedom Fest 2019
Image: Morgan Wallen performing at Freedom Fest 2019
Image: Zach Bryan performing at Crypto.com Arena on 23 Aug 2023 (cropped)
The record for most Billboard Music Awards won is held by Drake with 39 awards tying Taylor Swift.