During a new conversation with the YouTube channel of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, Paul Young stated that being Freddie Mercury for one day was a fantastic experience for him.
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, due to complications related to AIDS. His death was heartbreaking news for the whole music world, and dealing with it was very difficult, especially for his surviving bandmates. They always tried to keep his memory alive through their statements and various organizations.
On April 20, 1992, they held a benefit concert at Wembley Stadium in London for an audience of 72,000 to celebrate the life and legacy of the late frontman. It also marked John Deacon’s final full-length performance with the band. Many bands and artists such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Robert Plant, Paul Young, and David Bowie joined Queen on the stage and gave the audience unforgettable moments.
Paul Young performed Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ at this special event. During his recent interview, he reflected on how he got into the event and revealed that he always had this song in his mind from the first moment. The vocalist thought that performing this song live would be fun and moving. The singer said he got the chance to become Freddie Mercury for one day, which was a fantastic experience that he would remember for the rest of his life.
Paul Young speaking on being in Freddie Mercury’s shoes for one day:
“I remember that one manager told me about the concert, and we knew they would be approaching artists like me. I was interested. Then, a second manager contacted me and said, ‘Okay, you need to choose a song.’ I said, ‘Okay,’ but then I went back to the life on the road. They called me in a very short space of time. He said, ‘We have the five,’ and I said, ‘Already?’
Everyone was choosing their songs, and he read out the list to me. He made sure that ‘Radio Ga Ga’ would be the one. There were ballads left, and I thought, ‘I’m already getting too much attention. Some other bigger hits were ballads.’ So I wanted to do ‘Radio Ga Ga.’ I thought that would be fun to do. I get to be Freddie for one day, with one of his best moments. That song was fantastic to do live.”
You can watch the full interview below.
