Released four decades after the release of their 1983 debut album, the Netflix documentary Wham! celebrates the vibrant career of the titular pop duo. Directed by the documentary veteran Chris Smith (American Movie, Sr.), Wham! incorporates rare archival footage along with TV interviews to cover the personal and musical evolution in George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s lives. While Ridgeley introspects on the duo’s artistic career, the late George Michael is honored with an assorted mix of TV interviews, voice recordings and written musings. Garnering positive reviews from both critics and dedicated 80s pop fans, Wham! cements itself among the best music documentaries on Netflix.
Serving as a comprehensive guide on their artistic rise in UK of the early 1980s along with their subsequent international fame, Wham! also puts the spotlight on everyone else who contributed to Wham!’s iconic image. This ensemble includes Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman who started out as backup singers for Michael and Ridgeley’s collaborative act. Making regular appearances in Wham’s early shows, Pepsi and Shirlie ended up carving their own niche in dance-pop music. The 2004 documentary George Michael: A Different Story reunited Wham! after almost 20 years. The Netflix original similarly fleshes out the duo’s lore along with perspectives on associated acts like Pepsi and Shirlie.
Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque & Shirlie Holliman Were Wham!'s Backing Vocalists Before Performing As A Duo
As the first act of the Netflix documentary reveals, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relied on a loyal ensemble of background singers for their UK shows. One such singer attached to the duo’s musical endeavors was Shirlie Holliman. As per an interview sourced from the official website of Shirlie’s musician-actor husband Martin Kemp, she was often paid per every performance as a backing vocalist. Starting from the early 1980s to Wham!’s breakup in 1986, Shirlie was Wham!’s constant collaborator along with fellow backing singer Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque. Interestingly, Shirlie and Ridgeley were even romantically involved for two years.
The female singing duo even made their screen debut appearing in the music video for Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”. The 1984 single became Wham!’s first US and UK number one hit cementing Pepsi and Shirlie’s involvement on the then-rising British pop act. The two singers were on the road providing vocals for some of Wham!’s biggest hits like “Last Christmas” and “Freedom” for some iconic concerts, including the British group’s historic 10-day visit to China in 1985. This was the first time any major Western pop act set foot in communist China, ushering in a new era of global popularity.
Despite gaining enough popularity among Wham!’s global fanbase, the two backing singers seemed to harbor ambitions of their own. And Pepsi and Shirlie did manage to cement their individuality even after Wham! split in 1986. As George Michael set out to write and perform for a more sophisticated audience as opposed to Wham!’s predominantly teenage girl fanbase, Pepsi and Shirlie performed with Wham! for one final concert aptly titled “The Final”. In the aftermath of the Wembley show, the singers came out as the pop act Pepsi & Shirlie.
Why Shirlie's Original Singing Partner Dee C. Lee Left Wham!
Before Pepsi got involved with Wham!’s touring crew, Shirlie was accompanied by fellow vocalist and close friend Dee C.Lee. However, Lee left the duo in 1983 when she made the move to British new-wave pop act The Style Council. Lee, who was also dating the band’s founder Paul Weller at the time, served as one of the primary vocalists for the band’s initial lineup and later embarked on a solo career. Reflecting on her time with Wham!, Lee told podcaster Pete Turner in a 2023 YouTube interview that she mainly left Wham! because she didn’t wish to be “typecast” as “musical version of a Bond girl”. She adds that George Michael was initially upset over her decision to leave the group but he eventually understood her own artistic ambitions.
What Pepsi & Shirlie Have Done Since Their Last Album In 1991
Following a brief hiatus since 1989, Pepsi & Shirlie reunited to release their sophomore album Change. Despite the album’s sole single “Someday” produced by none other than George Michel himself, Change unfortunately could not mimic the success of their debut album and the British duo never released another record. But their musical pursuits and live performances never stopped. In fact, the two singers returned to backing vocal duties for former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell’s 2000 single “Bag It Up”. The song went on to grab the number one spot in the UK charts in its first week of release.
Shirlie Holliman was also associated as a background vocalist for 2002’s Concert for George, a concert celebrating former Beatles member George Harrison. As for Pepsi, she collaborated with George Michael again in 1995 for a cover of Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” under the pseudonym Infamy. Pepsi also became a part of British guitarist, producer and singer Mike Oldfield’s touring lineup in 1998 and 1999. While Shirlie also began to sideline music to take care of her daughter Harleymoon Kemp, Pepsi dabbled in musical theater with appearances in Hair and a play on the life of American-French dancer Josephine Baker.
Pepsi told The Independent in 1997 that "I don't think Shirlie and I will get back together.” But, more than a decade later in 2011, the two collaborators shared the same stage yet again. The Here & Now series of concerts celebrate the best of 80s artists and in its 10th anniversary concert in 2011, Pepsi & Shirlie finally had their reunion as they joined a lineup including other British pop icons like Boy George and Paul Young. While Netflix’s Wham! offers a nod to their early years, the definitive story of Pepsi & Shirlie is preserved in their jointly authored 2021 memoir It’s All in Black and White.