The fourth track on Swift's latest album interpolates the late pop star's 1987 hit. George Michael estate responds to Taylor Swift's 'Father Figure' song on Lif

The fourth track on Swift's latest album interpolates the late pop star's 1987 hit.

George Michael estate responds to Taylor Swift's 'Father Figure' song on Life of a Showgirl album

The fourth track on Swift's latest album interpolates the late pop star's 1987 hit.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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on October 3, 2025 12:36 p.m. ET

George Michael performing with Wham in 1985; Taylor Swift performing during the Eras Tour in London on June 21, 2024. Credit:

Michael Putland/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty

- Taylor Swift interpolated George Michael's 1987 hit "Father Figure" on her new album *The Life of a Showgirl*.

- Michael's estate issued a statement showing support for Swift's song, also called "Father Figure."

- "We had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists," the estate's statement said.

Taylor Swift puts her own spin on a George Michael hit on her new album — and now, the late singer's estate has weighed in on the tune.

The George Michael estate issued a statement on the "Freedom '90" singer's official social media accounts on Thursday expressing approval for Swift's version of "Father Figure," which credits Michael as a songwriter due to its interpolation of his 1987 single of the same name.

"We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael's classic song 'Father Figure' into a brand new song of the same title to be featured on her forthcoming album," Michael's estate said. "When we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same."

George Michael during a press conference at the Royal Opera House in London on May 11, 2011.

Marc Broussely/Redferns

Michael's estate also wished Swift "every success" with her album *The Life of a Showgirl*, ahead of its Friday release.

"Father Figure" was Michael's fourth single from his debut solo album *Faith*. The song draws parallels between a romance and a father-child (or mentor-student) relationship, with a chorus that asserts: "I will be your father figure/Put your tiny hand in mine/I will be your preacher, teacher/Anything you have in mind."**

Watch the music video for Michael's "Father Figure":

The song hit the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1988, and remains one of Michael's most popular tracks.

Swift is far from the first artist to utilize elements from "Father Figure" in their own song. LL Cool J previously sampled the song in his 1997 song "Father," and Destiny's Child repurposed elements of Michael's track in their 2001 Christmas tune "Winter Paradise."

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P.M. Dawn also sampled the song's hook on their 1993 single "Looking Through Patient Eyes," and the Jungle Brothers looped a short riff from the end of Michael's song for their 1989 track "J. Beez Comin' Through (Bonus Beats)."

This also isn't the first time that Swift has sung one of Michael's tunes. The "Fortnight" singer included a cover of Wham's "Last Christmas" on her 2007 Christmas EP *The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection*.

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Swift seldom utilizes other artists' music in her recordings, though there have been a few prominent exceptions. "Look What You Made Me Do," the lead single from 2017's *Reputation*, interpolates "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. "London Boy," an album track from 2019's *Lover*, samples Cautious Clay's "Cold War." And "It's Nice to Have a Friend, another song from that same album, sampled "Summer in the South" by the Regent Park School of Music.

Swift's version certainly draws inspiration from Michael, notably the line and melody around "I'll be your father figure," but won't be mistaken for a cover. After the song dropped, fans were more fixated on figuring out who the "dear protégé" referenced in the song could be, with the most-named potential suspects being pop star Olivia Rodrigo, Swift's former manager Scooter Braun, and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta.

Listen to Swift's "Father Figure":

*The Life of a Showgirl* is out now.

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