George Michael believes he's let 'young gay people down'

George Michael feels he has let "young gay people down" and wants to make amends for it.

The Fast Love singer - who served four weeks of an eight-week jail sentence last year for driving under the influence of drugs and possession of cannabis - believes he has projected a negative image of homosexual people to the public with his previous erratic behaviour and he intends to change that on his next album.

He told BANG! Showbiz: "It's really a matter of thinking what can I do to contribute as a gay man, because I have a serious problem with the fact that every time I would let myself down I felt definitely that I was letting young gay people down, because they would then witness the homophobia that is thrown at me and the wording of that homophobia and the language that is being used.

"So I have some plans to try and do things to help gay kids and I think we're a notoriously bad community at helping our own when it comes to children because we don't have any children.

"So I want to make up for some of the damage that I have done in making myself so newsworthy and putting myself on the back foot enough that there was no room, or space, for me to defend gay children."

The Outside hitmaker wants to assemble a "gay collective" to record his next album, including a number of celebrity guest stars, although he's remaining tight lipped as to who.

He added: "I'm hoping for some pretty amazing guests but none have been confirmed, so don't want to rick saying."

George is also looking forward to getting back out onto the road with his Symphonica tour - which was announced at London's Royal Opera House yesterday - which will see him appear at a number of opera houses backed by a full orchestra.

He said: "In terms of making the decision to tour again, I couldn't see myself going and doing a big greatest hits show. But it's such an amazing thing to watch the effect on my audience of an evening's entertainment, so, I thought, 'It's the most positive experience you've had in the last 20 years, why wait?' "

- BANG! Showbiz