George Michael was known for speaking his mind about the music industry, and one of his most pointed critiques was aimed at fellow singer Terence Trent D'Arby. While Michael respected D'Arby's talent, particularly on the acclaimed debut album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, he felt D'Arby's determination to be seen as a genre-defining innovator undermined his own music, calling him too self-conscious in his ambitions to be groundbreaking.

Michael contrasted D'Arby's approach with his own philosophy, arguing that innovation cannot be manufactured through effort or intent, someone either is an innovator or isn't, and he counted himself among the latter, preferring instead to focus purely on songwriting craft. He suggested D'Arby's later work suffered because he tried too hard to appear difficult and important, saying he had "fucked himself over" in the process, though Michael still praised individual songs from that record. This approach shaped Michael's own sparse release schedule, as he preferred fewer, more considered albums over churning out music to stay commercially visible.