Roman Kemp described the world premiere of George Michael's The Faith Tour as "emotional" as he introduced the concert film at the BFI IMAX in London on Monday, October 27. The TV presenter, who is George's godson, spoke to an audience of VIPs, friends and colleagues of the late singer.
He told the crowd: "It's an honour for me to be here tonight, to be able to say that you know the person on the screen that you're seeing up there is part of my family, of so many other people's families that loved him so dearly. So yeah, this is quite an emotional one."
Family memories of the Faith tour
Roman was not born in 1988, when George undertook the tour, but his mother, Shirlie Kemp, had been George's backing singer during his Wham! days. Roman said he had asked her about the significance of the tour for the music icon.
"She said, 'This was the moment that he became that person, that superstar, that idol, that icon'. And she also said it was the moment where he stopped using her in the music videos and got supermodels. My dad was quite happy about that," he quipped, referring to former Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp.
Roman reflected: "I mean, the word superstar obviously gets used quite a lot, but I think he is the person that can be known forever as a superstar and an icon and someone that did so much for so many people. But also just brought us so much fun and so much great music that throughout our lifetimes will enjoy forever."
Preparing for the premiere
Although his parents were not at the event, Roman revealed he had prepared for introducing the movie by watching old interviews with his close family friend.
"I looked up a couple of interviews with George before this to come and see what this meant to him," he said. "And there was something that really made me laugh. 'When I look back at the Faith tour and the album and everything, what are people going to remember me by? Is it going to be, you know, for great lyrics, for great, great moments in time on stage? Is it the tour that I'm going to be remembered for?' And he goes, 'No, it's going to be people remember me for shaking my a*** in front of a camera with a guitar'. And do you know what? It worked, it worked," he told the appreciative crowd, which included Joe McElderry, Myleene Klass and Mutya Buena, as well as Roman's older sister, Harleymoon Kemp.
The film and its release
The movie, which is out on November 6, is compiled from a long-lost, 14-camera 35mm shoot captured over two nights in May 1988 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy and will also be accompanied by a live album. It shows George, who died aged 53 on Christmas Day in 2016, at the height of his fame, performing to thousands of screaming fans, who at times drown out his singing with their cheers.
The film is preceded by a short film, Finding Faith, by Mary McCartney, which features unheard interview audio and imagery by photographer Herb Ritts. Speaking ahead of the screening, she said of her work: "It's super intimate. It's literally George...really pared back. I wanted it to be his voice and him, and it's very intimate, and it might have, like, the behind-the-scenes feeling."
