Helen DeMacque-Crockett, who goes by the moniker Pepsi DeMacque, recalled her first time meeting the now iconic bandmates of Wham! in 1983 as she joined the group to replace Dee C Lee.
Speaking to Radio Times ahead of the highly-anticipated Wham! documentary on Netflix, the singer shared: “George was warm but quite intense.
“I was in awe of Shirlie – this trendy, blonde chick, really confident.
“Andrew was like a gorgeous labrador, friendly, bouncy and welcoming.”
The singer, who claimed that Andrew Ridgely hasn’t changed a bit in the last four decades, added that the original Wham! member gave George Michael “a lot of confidence” as the late singer was “very awkward”.
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The 64-year-old explained that while George was always more focused on the work and performing the music, Andrew was the one that offered personality on stage and thrived in front of the crowds of screaming fans.
Pepsi also revealed that Andrew had been very “gracious” and “elegant” when it became clear that George was going to embark on a solo career that would launch him into realms of fame that the band would never experience together.
Shirlie Holliman and Pepsi “knew without being told that the end was brewing” for the band, adding that her concerns were cemented when George performed Careless Whisper on his own on stage.
She recalled: “Watching him, we said; ‘Yes, he’s going to make it’.”
Although fans largely saw George’s blossoming solo career as the nail in the coffin for Wham!, Pepsi revealed that she believes George was the one bandmate who “reminisced the most” about their Wham! days.
Following the band’s sensational conclusion in 1986, Pepsi and Shirlie started their own pop duo, apply titled Pepsi & Shirlie, and ended up rivalling George for the top of UK charts with their hit Heartache.
The duo went on hiatus in 1989 and Pepsi started up her acting career, racking up roles on stage and screen, before reuniting with Shirlie in 2000 to do backing vocals for former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Netflix’s Wham! documentary is set to be released on July 5.