When Sombr, Raye and Teddy Swims were announced as paying tribute to George Michael, almost 40 years after the release of his Faith album and before a live Faith tour album and feature film released later this year, it seemed that the VMAs segment honoring Michael, who died in 2016, would be primarily composed of songs from Faith.
But the musicians and surprise performer Adam Lambert, who hadn’t been announced as part of the performance before taking the stage Sunday night, went beyond the 1987 album by performing Michael’s Wham! the hit “Careless Whisper” and even the iconic single “Freedom ’90”, also known for its model-filled music video.
Sombr took the stage, after an intro by Orville Peck, wearing Michael’s custom real leather jacket from Faith era, which Michael wore on the Faith tour and in a Diet Coke commercial, and performing “Faith” while passing in front of Michael’s video screens in this video. He then followed up with another Faith tap “Father Figure”.
The performance shifted to Raye, who delivered a moving rendition of Michael’s duet with Aretha Franklin, “I Knew You Were Waiting,” which was not broadcast. Faithwith golden lighting, smoke and sepia images of Michael.
The camera then panned to a saxophonist, performing the opening to “Careless Whisper,” which Teddy Swims performed from a platform surrounded by spotlights.
Then Lambert came out from behind the scenes to perform “Freedom,” for a triumphant finale.
The tribute comes less than a decade after Michael died of heart failure at the age of 53 during the 2016 Christmas holiday. And the performance honoring the late singer, songwriter and record producer comes nearly 40 years after the 1987 release of his hit album. Faithwhose tour is celebrated through a live album released on November 6 and a feature film in American theaters on December 11. In addition to the title track, Faith spawned hit singles such as “I Want Your Sex,” “One More Try” and “Father Figure,” which were reimagined by 2026 VMA winner Taylor Swift on her latest album. The life of a showgirlTHE Bis the edition of which was released Friday with four additional tracks, including the single “Patient Zero,” the video Swift released for during the show. Swift received the inaugural MTV VMA Creative Director Award at the awards ceremony.
Michael won four VMAs during his career and received the Video Vanguard Award in 1989.
Raye, who performed her hit “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” ”, was nominated for two VMAs this year. Sombr is in the running for three awards. Swims was last on the VMA stage in 2024, when he was nominated four times and is set to release his next album, Ugly, on January 22, 2027.
The 2026 VMAs, hosted by Snoop Dogg from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, were broadcast live coast-to-coast on CBS and MTV and streamed on Paramount+ Premium in the United States. In addition to the tribute to Michael, the ceremony included a tribute to Dolly Parton, led by Kacey Musgraves. Nirvana was awarded the Video Vanguard Award.
Gn entert
