Wham! altogether in 1985. Now signed to Epic Records, except in the US and some other countries where they were on Epic sister label Columbia Records, Wham returned in 1984 with a new album and an updated pop image. These changes helped to propel Wham's next single, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", into the top ten of several countries around the world. It became their first US and UK #1 single, accompanied by a video of the duo with Pepsi and Shirlie, all wearing Katharine Hamnett T-shirts with the slogans "CHOOSE LIFE" and "GO GO". The next single from the
Wham! 100 chart in the US. In 1985, Wham made a highly publicized 10-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The event was seen as a major watershed moment in increasing friendly bilateral relations between China and the West. Wham became one of the most successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Bushey near the town of Watford in Hertfordshire. The two at first performed in a short-lived ska band called the Executive, alongside former school friends