A week after the release of the first posthumous single from the late George Michael, his fans have been burning up social media to promote the new single.
The first posthumous single from the late George Michael “Fantasy” was released on September 7, 2017. The song was first recorded by the superstar in the late 80s, and rearranged by Nile Rodgers to give it a “slinky funk groove.” It topped the UK charts at #13 a day after its release, but was down to #75 as of this writing.
The lack of aggressive promotion contributed to the song’s limited airplay on the radio. To help push the song, George Michael’s fans have been burning up social media. His loyal fans (or “Lovelies” as George called them) are taking it to themselves to push the radio stations to play the song in the hopes of getting it to the top of the charts.
Enlisting the Help of Friends and Fans
Music marketing is all about raising awareness. For Twitter user Claire McGuire, it starts by enlisting George Michael’s friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and fans.
Nile Rodgers has tweeted up a storm in support of his work with George. As he said, “The amount of love I put into this record can’t be measured. It was love for @GeorgeMichael and his artistic vision & I can only see forward.” Nile encouraged fans to “make your voices heard.”
Some fans have reached out to close associates and friends of George Michael to help promote “Fantasy.” User @TDAN1970 tweeted to George Michael’s personal friend and Spandau Ballet’s former singer Martin Kemp to help promote the single.
User @KerenHal1 posted an angry tweet chastising Geri Halliwell for keeping mum about the new remix when Geri talked about George a lot when she was promoting her comeback song.
Getting More Radio Airplay
Critical to the success of new music is the amount of airplay it receives over the radio. As such, George Michael’s fans have launched a global campaign to push for more radio airplay of the newly released single “Fantasy.”
User @AmazingLovelyGM entreated other George Michael fans to reach out to radio stations they know.
Response from other fans was immediate, with some telling Ilse that they have sent tweets to their radio stations in Portugal, Australia, and other corners of the globe. User @englishrose_12 replied by saying she has been “emailing and calling stations all day.”
User @Yogmylove made the case to @RadioMilwaukee to include “Fantasy” in their playlist.
Another user @georgesgirl25 tweeted a request to @SmoothRadio to add “Fantasy” to their playlist.
Some of the fans have been tweeting tirelessly to reach out not only to their local radio stations but those in other countries as well. @Yogmylove has contacted other radio stations in different countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Canada, even as far as Nigeria (@Urban96FM) and South Africa (@ecr9495).
User @annalucyge asked Brazilian radio shows and programs @radiojovempan @radiomixfm @MTVBrasil @RadioRock89 to play the Nile Rodgers remix.
Even Nile Rodgers joined in the effort to get more radio plays for “Fantasy” entreating @BBCRadio2 to play the song.
Giving Thanks
The George Michael fans are also actively engaging with radio and media personalities that talk about the song or acknowledge playing the song.
User @AmazingLovelyGM contacted the New York-based Radio Creme Brulee and got the positive response that the station is playing the song.
The fan @Yogmylove thanked the Roxy Radio Show for playing “Fantasy” and urged the Argentina-based radio station to continue playing the song.
She also thanked the Australian radio host Patricia Karvelas for her enthusiastic response to “Fantasy.”
User @99Edytka thanked the biggest radio station in Poland for playing “Fantasy” and asked if they could play it more.
Some of the Lovelies make it a point to thank the tireless efforts of others in promoting “Fantasy.” @AmazingLovelyGM did a wonderful shout-out to @clairemcguire1 for “the hard work you put into convincing so many celebrities in promoting @GeorgeMichael feat @nilerodgers Fantasy.”
George Michael truly has the best fans in the world. And George would have been proud of his Lovelies as they come together to help promote his music and solidify his musical legacy.
View Comments (1)
This is truly huge and fantastic I am a lovely which makes me a devoted fan and I would love to see our darling George's and Niles record to go to number one, this whole article was good reading thank you.