Freddie Mercury, a musical prodigy, was the lead singer for the band Queen, and arguably one of the most talented musicians of all time. Despite facing controversies for things such as homosexuality through his career, he thrived because of an uncanny passion for music, never letting anyone break him down. Furthermore, he was never afraid of anything, only revealing his severe condition of AIDS to fans one day before he died. Queen’s popular mix of glam-rock, opera, cabaret, and hard rock cemented its spot in music history, while Mercury’s onstage presence was the stuff of legends and his dedication to the craft vibrant until the very end.
Mercury was the son of a British diplomat with real name Farrokh Bulsara. He lived much of his early life in India and returned to England for his university studies. His family often looked down upon his late night outings and homosexuality. However, he fully embraced his differences, changing his legal name to create the prodigal musician known today as Freddie Mercury.
The band itself began in late night clubs and pubs, when all the band members were still in college together. After their lead singer quit, Freddie Mercury stepped in to take on the role. His immense vocal range and employment of harmonics deemed him the title of being one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Freddie Mercury also came alive on stage, and engaged the audience with his enigmatic personality and mysterious charm.
Particularly well-known for his flamboyant stage performance and extensive vocal range, Mercury sparked waves in the music industry as Queen’s frontman through embracing femininity and dispelling any and all preconceived notions about rock music, like hyper-masculinity. He began working diligently with his band in the 1970s towards creating albums and soundtracks that forever changed the face of rock music. Even people who hate rock music cannot deny the catchy tune of songs such as “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Released throughout the 1970s, Queen attracted some of the largest crowds, selling out entire stadiums and always leaving fans begging for more. Freddie Mercury was even able to engage the audience with songs like “We Will Rock You,” creating the famed stomp-stomp-clap routine, where the entire crowd would repeat this motion and chant “We will, we will rock you!” He even included the vocal improvisation of “Ay-Oh,” which many audience members always repeated back to the band.
One of their final performances together was at Live Aid, dual-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, and an ongoing music-based fundraising initiative. Here, they performed some of their most well-known songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio Ga”, “We Will Rock You,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We are The Champions.” Overall, Queen will forever be remembered for their legendary impact upon the face of rock music.
This article was inspired by the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody.”