Untold story behind George Michael's secret supergroup and 'the greatest album never made'

31 July 2026, 14:57

Never-before-seen studio footage is lifting the lid on the late singer's abandoned all-star project.

George Michael’s fans are getting a rare window into one of the most intriguing "what if" moments of his career, as previously unseen footage sheds light on a star-studded album that never reached the public.

The late singer spent months in 1992 developing an ambitious side project under the name The Trojan Souls, envisioning an album performed by many of the artists he admired.

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The record, however, was ultimately abandoned after personal tragedy overtook his creative momentum, leaving behind only fragments of what collaborators believe could have become one of the defining releases of his career.

Now, George's longtime friend and collaborator Andros Georgiou is releasing 90 minutes of unedited studio footage titled Trojan Souls, giving fans an intimate look at the singer's recording process decades after the sessions first took place.

Andros said he decided to stop trying to remove leaked clips circulating online and instead present the material himself.

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"I thought these fans were making money from my rights so I decided to stop fighting and get it out there," he explained, describing the unfinished project as "the greatest album never made."

The project emerged during a turbulent chapter in George Michael's career.

Frustrated by an increasingly bitter dispute with Sony Records, he sought an outlet that would allow him to work independently while collaborating with musical heroes including Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Sade Adu, Bryan Ferry, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and David Bowie, although Andros said Bowie ultimately declined to take part.

George Michael's legal fight with Sony escalated in late 1992, after he accused the label of restricting his artistic freedom. According to Andros, the singer was determined to move forward regardless.

"He wanted to get back at Sony any which way he could," Georgiou recalled.

Despite the conflict surrounding the project, Georgiou remembers the recording sessions as an especially joyful period. "He was so happy," he said. "For the first couple of months we probably had the best time of our lives making this record."

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The newly released footage also offers an unusually candid glimpse of George inside the recording studio, something fans rarely saw during his lifetime.

Georgiou said the singer was intensely focused on perfecting every detail, carefully directing musicians through repeated takes and even demonstrating parts himself when words weren't enough.

George Michael on The Trojan Souls

"He had a 48-track studio in his mind," Georgiou said, describing George Michael's extraordinary musical instincts.

Author Sathnam Sanghera, who has written extensively about George's life, agreed the singer's demanding creative process could be challenging for collaborators.

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"He would often sing at musicians and say, 'This is what I want it to sound like,'" Sanghera said, adding that many later came to view George as the most gifted artist they had ever worked alongside.

The momentum behind The Trojan Souls came to an abrupt halt as George's partner, Anselmo Feleppa, became seriously ill with AIDS before dying in March 1993.

Andros said George struggled to finish any of the material as he coped with the devastating loss. "It got too much for him," he said.

Although George would later return to recording, much of the Trojan Souls material remained unfinished.

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Sanghera noted that several ambitious projects throughout the singer's career never reached completion, making the abandoned album part of a broader pattern of unrealised ideas.

Andros and George's own friendship also fractured years later before the pair tentatively reconciled in 2016, only for George to die before they could properly reconnect.

Looking back, Andros believes the footage preserves far more than an unfinished album. "It's my legacy in a way," he said. "I was there for nearly 40 years. What a time!"

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