George Michael’s First Posthumous Single ‘This Is How’ Debuts

A recording made during George Michael’s final studio sessions has finally been given a posthumous release.

Almost three years since Michael’s untimely passing, “This Is How (We Want You To Get High)” is an upbeat tune with Latin vibes, acoustic guitars and a sunny, Mediterranean vibe.

George Michael performed onstage at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992.

Despite its warm glow, Michael explores some heavy-duty topics. On it, he sings: “Looking for a different space, dreaming of a sunnier day, oh it never came how could it have, baby, where the present meets the past. It’s hard to be more than we’ve seen, its hard to be more than we’ve seen.”

The track is Michael’s first release of original material in seven years, and it has a special home in the final scene of Last Christmas, ?Paul Feig’s new feature film inspired by the music of the British pop star and his ’80s hitmakers Wham, which opens in the U.S. on Friday.

“This Is How (We Want You to Get High)” was co-written and co-produced by George Michael and collaborator James Jackman. Its origins date back to early 2012, and it was later shaped and recorded at London’s Air Studios. Finishing touches were applied in late 2015, during Michael’s final recording sessions, according to a statement from Universal Music.

Michael died on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53, leaving behind a massive catalogue of hits, including Wham tracks “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Last Christmas,” “Everything She Wants,” “I’m Your Man” and his solo works “Careless Whisper” and “Faith,” his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, which spent four weeks at the summit in 1987.

The new single arrives on the heels of Andrew Ridgeley’s tell-all tome, Wham! George Michael & Me: A Memoir, a 335-page book in which the guitarist hones in on his decade friendship with the late singer and their race to the top.

Watch the lyric video for “This Is How (We Want You To Get High)” below. 

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