Leo Kalyan honours George Michael with moving cover of ‘Jesus to a Child’
By Will Stroude
As the world continues to mourn the passing of the late, great George Michael, one British singer-songwriter has paid tribute to his musical hero with a moving cover of one of his greatest tracks.
London-based Leo Kalyan has covered Michael’s 1996 chart-topping ‘Jesus to a Child’, in honour of the late singer. The track itself was often dedicated by Michael during his show’s to his former partner, Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an Aids-related brain haemorrhage in 1993.
“I’m blessed, I know/Heaven sent and heaven stole/You smiled at me like/Jesus to a child,” go lyrics made all the more poignant since Michael’s death at the age of 53 on Christmas Day last year.
Explaining his decision to release the cover, Kalyan says: “George Michael helped me find my voice. He was an artist who paved the way for people like me to create authentic music. His death felt like a huge loss to me, as I’m sure it did to gay musicians all over the world.”
The singer, who released his debut EP Outside In last year, continues: “He was an outsider, much like myself, and everything that’s happened in the world over the past few months has made me connect with him on that level even more – both as a gay man and someone from a Muslim, south Asian background.
“As a thank you to George, I wanted to share my own take on one of his most beautiful songs.”
Listen to Leo Kalyan’s cover of ‘Jesus to a Child’ below:
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