Joe McElderry: From being on stage with George Michael in The X Factor to performing his songs on the road in Yorkshire

He performed on stage with George Michael in the final of The X Factor, back in 2009, going on to win the show.

Now, singer Joe McElderry is paying homage to the music legend with a tour celebrating his work.

FREEDOM will come to Harrogate Convention Centre on October 8 and will take the audience on a journey through George’s greatest hits including Careless Whisper, Club Tropicana, Faith, and Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

Joe sang the latter during his X Factor journey 13 years ago and says it became his “performance of the series”.

“When it came to the final, unknown to me, there was a lot of negotiation going on to get George on – and he eventually agreed.

“He was such a huge artist, he was so respected as a singer, a writer and producer, that the show were just as amazed as I was that it happened.

“So, I sang with George for the final of The X Factor and it was incredible. Even now, looking back – it’s mind blowing.

“I’ve done the material in concerts ever since, I’m always asked to sing Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – it’s always been a real fan favourite.

“I did a gig in London back in March 2020 – the day before theatres closed for Covid-19 – and theatre producer Jamie Lambert was there.

“We were talking afterwards and he said ‘Why not do a tour to celebrate George’s music?’

“But you know what those conversations are like, you go off, carry on and they don’t often come to anything… Never mind throwing a global pandemic into the mix.

“We never spoke of it again until early last year, when Jamie got in touch and said he thought it could be something very special so we started taking the idea seriously.

“George Michael was one of the best vocal artists of all time around the world. So when someone says do you want to sing those songs and go on tour, of course I’m going to say ‘Yes’… With bells on.”

Joe has been pulling together the set list from an impressive catalogue of George’s hits.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” he says. “These songs remind people of where they were at certain times and places of their lives, so you want to make them sing and dance along and take them back to those moments.

“There are a lot of powerful, emotive songs, some really heart-breaking lyrics, but then there’s also the ones which make you just want to get up and dance.”

The singer stresses he is not “trying to be” George, adding he, like his mum, is a fan of the music.

“I just want to do that music the best justice I can, and give it the respect it deserves as absolutely timeless, classic songs.

“I keep saying ‘it’s not a tribute show’. It’s me, singing George’s songs, putting that incredible music out there again, celebrating it.”

He adds: “It may sound a bit odd, but I forget he’s not with us anymore – because the music lives on so strongly, how can he be gone?

“His death was such a loss for the music industry.

“It is so, so sad that we’re in the position to be celebrating George’s music, without him here anymore.

FREEDOM starring Joe McElderry is presented by Cuffe and Taylor in association with Lambert Jackson Productions.

Tickets are on sale now from www.cuffeandtaylor.com