New Queen song with Freddie Mercury: where did Brian May and Roger Taylor find tune - when did singer die?

Brian May and Roger Taylor, two of the founders of the iconic rock band Queen, have released a long lost song, Face It Alone, featuring vocals from the late Freddie Mercury after being rediscovered from the vault.

The song is the first new release from Queen featuring Freddie Mercury’s vocals since 1995’s Made in Heaven. The album featured vocals from Mercury recorded in 1991, shortly before the enigmatic frontman’s death.

This is everything you need to know about the newly-released song.

How was the song discovered?

May, 74, and Taylor, 72, who founded Queenalongside Mercury in 1970, told Zoe Ball on Radio 2 that they found the “little gem” after it had been “forgotten about”.

Taylor, Queen’s drummer, said: “We did find a little gem from Freddie, that we’d kind of forgotten about.”

He went on to describe the song as a “real discovery” and explained that it had originated from the Miracle sessions recorded in the late 1980s.

Guitarist May added: “It was kind of hiding in plain sight.

“We looked at it many times and thought, “Oh no, we can’t really rescue that”.

“But in fact, we went in there again and our wonderful engineering team went, “Okay, we can do this and this”. It’s kind of stitching bits together.”

May described the song as “beautiful” and “touching”, with Taylor adding that it is a “very passionate piece”.

When will it be released?

Face It Alone was originally expected to premiere in September 2022, however the song was delayed. It eventually released on 13 October.

The song is available to stream on platforms such as Spotify anf Apple Music, and is also available to watch on YouTube.

When did Freddie Mercury die?

Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, is best known as the vocalist for Queen, lending his vocals to hits like Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now, Somebody to Love and We Are The Champions.

Throughout the course of his high profile career with Queen, Mercury was hounded by rumours perpetuated by the press regarding his HIV status. It was first reported in 1986 that he had tested positive for the virus and by 1990 speculation about his health was rife.

Mercury, as well as his inner circle of family, friends and colleagues, denied the stories.

He didn’t publicly confirm that he had HIV until the night before his death, however May later confirmed that the singer had informed Queenabout his diagnosis much earlier.

In November 1991, Mercury released a statement which said: “Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS.

“I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me.

“However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease.

“My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.”

Mercury passed away at the age of 45 at his home in Kensington on the evening of 24 November 1991, 24 hours after issuing his statement. The cause of death was announced as bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.

His funeral was held on 27 November 1991 and, in accordance with his wishes, Mercury’s ashes were taken to be buried at an undisclosed location.