British music legends Queen have reportedly been working on new music, the remaining members from the original line up with iconic singer Freddie Mercury have been trying out new things in the studio with Adam Lambert. Lambert who rose to fame as the runner up on talent show, American Idol, was recruited as lead vocalist in 2011.
Although they have been performing live together as band for over a decade, the original members have not yet recorded new material with Lambert. But things may well be changing, Lead guitarist Brian May recently informed Guitar Player magazine that although they have been experimenting in the studio no official material has been recorded. In the magazine interview May was asked if any new music was to be released and he responded with the somewhat optimist reply.
“I always say, ‘I don’t know.’ It would have to be a very spontaneous moment. Actually, Adam, Roger and myself have been in the studio trying things out, just because things came up. But up to this point we haven’t felt that anything we’ve done has hit the button in the right way. So it’s not like we’re closed to the idea, it’s just that it hasn’t happened yet.”
The 73-year-old guitarist has been busy during this lockdown. May has been very active on social media apps such as TikTok communicating with fans, working on the band’s YouTube series and posting guitar lessons on Instagram. May has admitted that he enjoys the interactive side of social media. Last month the music legend also released a collaboration with celebrated West End singer, Kerry Ellis. The pair released new track ‘Panic Attack 2021 (It’s Gonna Be All Right)’ at the end of last month, the track’s message was very current and urged listeners to find beauty in the lockdown.
May had this to say about his experiences during COVID and social media. As he discusses below, May appears to see social media platforms as a segregate for playing live, “I’m a performer and performers are all struggling to be heard, aren’t they? And in this new situation that we’re in now, the only way to be heard is on the social media sites. And so Instagram has become a little platform for me to play on. I don’t get instant applause, but I get a lot of response in the comments and I get people actually participating. People take up the challenge of jamming along with me and then they put it out there so I can see it. It’s very interactive. So it’s great. Sometimes I look at it and I think, ‘Yeah, that’s become what I do.”
Although there seems to be hope for new Queen material, fans may have to wait a little longer. May continued to discuss how COVID has effected not just life performances but also the reality of the band recording new music. “And to be honest, life has now taken a turn in which it’s very difficult to explore an avenue like that. Things may change, but I don’t think they’re going to change very fast.”
