Working on Freddie Mercury’s vocals after his death was ‘traumatising’, says Brian May
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Working on Freddie Mercury’s vocals after his death was ‘traumatising’, says Brian May

"The day of losing him will never be something I can put straight in my head."

'Made in Heaven' was Queen’s last album with the iconic Freddie Mercury on lead vocals, but it wasn't easy for his bandmates to get through. 

The album was released in 1995, four years after Mercury’s death, but uses recordings Mercury had planned for use in solo albums for himself and fellow band members Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Singer Freddie Mercury (1946 - 1991) and guitarist Brian May of British rock band Queen in concert at Wembley Stadium, July 1986. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Speaking on the 'How Do You Cope?' podcast about the process of working on Mercury’s vocals during the production of the album, May said that "it was traumatising in itself". 

Working on Freddie Mercury’s vocals after his death was ‘traumatising’, says Brian May
British rock band Queen, London, 1973. Left to right: drummer Roger Taylor, singer Freddie Mercury (1946 - 1991), guitarist Brian May, and bassist John Deacon. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

The two met in 1969 and Mercury (who at the time was called Freddie Bulsara) joined May’s band a year later.

After more than twenty years of friendship, and touring the world playing music together, May said he really struggled to grieve the loss of his dear friend.

“People do a lot of celebrating on the day of Freddie’s death, but I don’t want to and I don’t feel I can”, the guitarist explained,

May said that both he and Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor “plunged into [their] solo work” when Mercury died.

He said the grieving process was “accentuated by the fact it has to be public. We sort of went into denial … we didn’t want to talk about Queen.

"That seems almost nonsensical because we spent half our lives constructing Queen. But we didn’t know that at the time. It was a grieving thing.”

Brian May released his first solo album 'Back to the Light' in 1992, and it went gold.

May’s father passed the same year that Mercury did, but he said that it was relatively easier to grieve his father’s death as it was not in the public light.

“It was obviously massively important for me to lose my dad, and very difficult to come to terms with, but it was a private thing.