Brian May on possible new Queen material: “I think it could happen”

Brian May has commented on whether new music might be coming from Queen – almost 30 years on from their last album.

• READ MORE: ‘Queen days’: Brian May reflects on his rock ‘n’ roll journey

The legendary band posthumously released their 15th and final studio record, ‘Made In Heaven’, in 1995 following the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991.

In 2004, Queen began performing with Paul Rodgers as their lead vocalist before Adam Lambert took on the role in 2011. The latter recently played with the group on their huge ‘Rhapsody Tour’, which concluded in Tokyo in 2024.

Queen shared a rediscovered track featuring Mercury’s vocals, ‘Face It Alone’, in October 2022.

Now, in a new interview with MOJO, May revealed that the door isn’t entirely closed on new Queen music, telling the magazine: “I think it could happen.”

He went on to say: “Both Roger [Taylor] and I are constantly writing and coming up with ideas and doing things in our studios. I could have the beginnings of a Queen song right there in front of me now. It’s just whether the idea reaches maturity or not. It’s whether that seed can grow.”

It follows similar comments from Taylor last year, who was asked if the band could potentially record and release any new material. “I think we might,” he responded.

“Brian and myself were talking the other day, and we both said that if we feel we have some good material, why not? We can still play. We can still sing. So I don’t see why not.”

The previous year, May revealed that Queen had “dabbled a little” in making new music with Lambert. “It is just that you haven’t heard any of it,” the guitarist said. “It would have to be something so special that we would feel we would want to launch it on the public.”

Lambert then acknowledged the “pressure” involved in Queen returning with new material. “If they’re going to put something out that’s new, it’s got to be at a certain level,” he explained. “It has to be the right thing. And I’ve always said, ‘Is it appropriate for me to be doing new material?’ I feel like it scares me.”

In 2021, May said making new Queen music “would have to be a very spontaneous moment” – but confirmed that recording sessions had taken place.

He added: “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.”

Lambert opened up about his experience performing with Queen in 2020, saying that he “didn’t want to do an impersonation” of Mercury: “Freddie and I are different. We look different, we have had different experiences.”

In other news, May recently opened up about his fears that he would never play guitar again following suffering a stroke last year.

Meanwhile, last year Queen released a newly mixed, mastered and expanded reissue of their 1973 self-titled debut album.

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