The Queens group and the composition of the new Queens group are causing constant excitement, because the project in the girl band format has completely updated the soloists. The dossier of each of them contains vivid pages of biography, so the girls’ sacrifices for their own careers seem incredible. Moreover, the story of each participant is not necessarily connected specifically with singing.
Lineup for 2019:
- Christina Kotz-Gottlieb
- Volga King
- Katya Korol
Photos of the girls, Christina and twin sisters Volga and Katya, and other interesting information, you can also find out about the Queens group.
Pop trio from the past
So, the following personalities came together in a creative conspiracy in 2017-2018:
- Christina Kots-Gottlieb/ Ukraine;
- Olga Leta/ Belarus;
- Ekaterina Pechkurova/ Russia.
Moreover, the first two members of the new Queens lineup began their promotion in the Ukrainian TV show. Only Katya Pechkurova built her career in Russia.
Christina Kotz-Gottlieb
Christina Kots-Gottlieb / Ukraine is perhaps the most famous member of the QUEENS group. A native of Donbass and rightfully considered its queen. Because she has a whole list of titles, from which it follows that in 2003 and 2004 she was the most beautiful girl in Donetsk and everything in general.
2005 year. Christina became the soloist of Via Gra. Her career in the group lasted for almost two years. There has been a lot of gossip about the reasons for the dismissal, but there is nothing serious to really discuss. Until 2009, the girl took part in photo shoots with famous photographers. She even appeared in Bogdan Titomir’s sensational video “Do as I do” in 2007.
However, the lull in the girl’s career did not last long. Christina became Miss Ukraine Universe 2009. With subsequent participation in the finals of the competition in the Bahamas. Although meticulous history buffs can add a fly in the ointment to this story. Among the jury members there were two people who were involved in the creation of the Via Gra team: photographer Dmitry Peretrutov and fashion designer Angela Lisitsa.
However, there was no doubt for fans that this girl should wear the crown. In the most important battle, where it was necessary to obtain the largest number of user votes on the social network, Christina emerged as one of the winners.
In 2014, the girl appeared on the star stage again, releasing the video “Trust your heart.”
Olga Leta
Another Queen, only now she is a twerker - Olga Leta, a member of the Queens group from Belarus. Even Vlad Yama himself (Ukrainian showman and constant member of the jury) at the first meeting with Olya called her a twice-crowned person. It is not surprising that she is the winner of two Belarusian competitions, both of which are directly related to dance projects. Despite this, in her hometown of Grodno the girl was clearly disliked, especially by women, sometimes calling her in downright offensive terms.
That is why the twice queen of twerking came to Ukraine not to conquer the country with singing, but solely with body movements. “Everybody Dance” is a popular show; every resident of the country has seen at least one episode.
It was in the ninth season that Olga was lucky enough to do the following:
- meet the most picky judge of dance floors, probably not only in Ukraine, Vlad Yam;
- be remembered and loved by the million-strong army of fans of the program;
- catch the eye of future producers of the QUEENS group.
Olya Leta did not leave a single chance for any other choice, because from her first performance she became the Queen of the country's dance floor. Now she has very organically become part of the new women’s group.
Little is known about the girl's age. But there is information that she is raising an 11-year-old daughter, from which they conclude that Olga is about 30 years old.
Ekaterina Pechkurova
Ekaterina Pechkurova is the most mysterious person of the new composition of the Queens group, but also deserves the title of Queen of Karaoke. However, the path to this title was slightly thorny and not very short.
Katya’s first appearance took place back in 2012 on the “Voice” program in Russia. Then none of the jury members turned around when the song “Love Has Come” was performed. Alexander Gradsky explained his position by saying that this composition needs to be performed more purely. Because there are many “plays” of notes in it and they are lost when there is even the slightest inaccuracy.
In general, the girl’s failure was attributed to a poor choice of song, which did not allow the participant’s voice to be fully demonstrated.
But very soon Ekaterina Pechkurova received a new chance to continue her singing career on the Live Sound platform. Now on the Internet you can find a whole collection of compositions performed by Katya. Her charm, love for music and audiences, as well as her ambitious nature did not leave the hearts of her new fans indifferent.
The history of the creation of the first line-up of the Queens group
So, the Queens group appeared on the star Olympus. All members of the first line-up are former soloists of the VIAGRA group. Having started brightly, the new project immediately won the hearts of many fans. But already in April 2017, rumors began to circulate about a complete replacement of the participants.
What was the reason for the dismissal of Olga Romanovskaya, Santa Dimopoulos and Tatyana Kotova is unknown. Was this a PR stunt or a conflict with the producer?
The producer of the new girl-band group Queens is Sergey Kovalev. According to him, the main goal of the project is to create worthy competition for K. Meladze and his group “VIAGRA”. It came as a surprise to the audience that all the girls from the trio were ViaGra participants at different times.
Initially, the creation of the project was shrouded in secrecy. This is especially true for Olga Romanovskaya, who at that time worked on the TV show “Revizorro”. Unexpectedly for everyone, she left the show without explaining anything to the fans, subtly hinting that she would soon appear on stage again. Dimopoulos and Kotova were pursuing solo careers at the time of the creation of Queens.
On November 8, 2016, a preview took place, where the producer and members of the group announced a new team.
On November 19, a song called “Pain” was released - which became the official start. The composition was performed at the Golden Gramophone award festivals. The girls' performance did not go unnoticed - they immediately captivated the audience with their beauty and sensual performance.
It is interesting that the outfits of the group members differed little from the usual concert costumes in which they performed as part of the VIA Gra group. This and their common participation in Meladze’s project caused a stir among fans. There were persistent rumors about replacing one group with another.
Biography of the members of the first Queens lineup
For 2016/2017:
- Tanya Kotova
- Olya Romanovskaya
- Santa Dimopoulos
Tatyana Kotova
This year the singer turns 32 years old. During this time, she managed to win the title “Miss Russia”, was a soloist in the groups “VIA Gra” and “Queens”, acted in films, while actively pursuing a solo career.
The girl Tanya Kotova was born in the south of Russia in the Rostov region. She grew up in an atmosphere of love and mutual understanding. From an early age, her parents spoiled her and supported Tatyana in everything. For example, at the age of 13, a girl saw “belly dancing” and was inspired by the idea of becoming a dancer. Without teachers, only using cassettes with video lessons - in a few years she achieved her goal and mastered this difficult art. Her dancing skills and innate flexibility came in handy in her career as a singer.
Before becoming popular, Tatyana studied at the Faculty of Economics of Rostov University. Having studied for only 3 years, Kotova had the chance to become a model, which she successfully took advantage of.
Her modeling career took off after a competition for the best model in the South of Russia. She did not receive first place, but was noticed by the organizers and modeling agencies. After a number of competitions and awards, Tatyana became the winner of the all-Russian beauty contest “Miss Russia” in 2006. The girl also took part in the Miss Universe competition, but, unfortunately, she failed to win. In 2007, Kotova took part in the Miss World beauty contest, but again failed.
In 2008, Tatyana tries herself in a new role - singer. At the casting of performers for the VIA Gra group, she immediately impressed the producers with her vocal abilities and beauty. Konstantin Meladze, without hesitation, took Tatyana to replace Vera Brezhneva, who left the team. But two years later, she decides to leave the group and pursue a solo career.
In 2016, the performer of the sensational hit “Red on Red” accepted Sergei Kovalev’s offer to participate in the Queens group. In which she became the leading soloist.
Olga Romanovskaya
The real name of the singer is Koryagin. Olga is reluctant to talk about her family. It is only known that she was born in Ukraine in a provincial town.
In high school, in addition to studying, Romanovskaya attended a modeling school and even became the winner of a beauty contest in the Black Sea region. Olga graduated from the branch of the Kyiv University of Culture and Art, becoming a certified specialist in fabric processing.
In 2006, the aspiring singer Koryagina became one of the soloists of Viagra. But she didn’t last long in the team and a year later, due to pregnancy, she left the team.
In 2007, Olga Romanovskaya began a solo career. In 2015, her first album, Hold Me Tight, was released. Which included clips from such famous directors as K. Kuzin, V. Maslyaev, E. Timokhin. In total, the album consists of 14 songs. The singer’s solo career did not stop even during her performances as part of the Queens group. Also in 2016, Olga, together with Dan Balan, recorded and released the video “Little Raspberries”.
Romanovskaya's versatile nature could not remain within the narrow framework of pop performance. She tries herself as the host of the television program “Revizorro”. Despite her active work, the singer is a wife and mother of two charming boys.
Santa Dimopoulos
The youngest ex-member of Queens is, surprisingly, the World Bodybuilding Champion. In addition, the girl has a law degree. Her modeling career did not bypass her - she took 3rd place in the finals of the Miss Universe contest in Ukraine.
In 2011, Dimopoulos became one of the members of the VIA Gra group. But a year later he decides to start a solo career and leaves the team. To date, Santa Dimopoulos has released a video for the song “When we move”, which entered the top 100 according to the Ukrainian TopHit chart in 2013.
During the period from November 2016 to April 2017. became a member of the Queens group, which she then left along with the rest of the members. The girl leads an active personal life; it is known that she has at least 3 “civil” marriages. He is raising a 9-year-old son from the popular presenter Andrei Dzhedzhul.
What girls say about their departure
So far, there are no official comments from the ex-soloists of the Queens group. But Olga Romanovskaya posted an unexpected post on Instagram on April 27. In an address to readers, she talks about liberation from the presence of two people in her life - literally: “Predators and planktons,” apparently, she means Kotova and Dimopoulos. Figuratively speaking, Olga describes the essence of the conflict that led to the collapse of the “Korolev” cast. According to her, it turns out that not everything was so smooth in the group and the relations between the participants were far from friendly.
An emotional post contains accusations of dirty tricks, spoiling, spreading gossip, and damaging property. Olga says that her phone was hacked and even “someone” spat in her glass.
It’s quite easy to combine the publication date (April 27, 2017) and the official news of the band’s breakup (April 29, 2017). Apparently for Romanovskaya this was the last straw in her decision to refuse to participate in a promising project.
Santa also talks about liberation on his Instagram. To escape the fuss, she left the country and went to “cleanse her mind and body in Marbella. There is a well-known clinic there that specializes in therapeutic fasting.”
Kotova did not react in any way to the posts of the other participants and even posted a new clip of Romanovskaya on her page. However, judging by the sweet correspondence of the ex-participants on the same Instagram, it is impossible to judge whether the girls probably had a fight or not.
Producers' PR stunt
Since there is no official information about replacing the current lineup of the group, most opinions tend to be a PR move on the part of the producers. A person from Sergei Kovalev’s close circle, who wished to remain anonymous, hinted to journalists that the replacement of participants was planned at the initial stage of the project’s development.
Really attentive fans have long noticed that the group’s first video consists of a cut of Tatyana Kotova’s solo video. She also became the main soloist of the Queens group. The same source confirms that Kotova was a co-producer of the group and even came up with the names for it herself. Today, aggressive marketing technologies do not surprise anyone. In order to promote yourself there is nothing better than making a fuss. This is often why article columns are constantly filled with scandals and gossip.
Another possible option for such a PR move could be the creation or release of a group album. Abroad, such methods are not new, and viewers have long been accustomed to the fact that without official confirmation, the breakup of a group is impossible.
Why are such companies held?- The presence of conflict always has a positive effect on the popularity of the group
- An artificial increase in interest in a musical group may foreshadow the release of a video or a new album
At the very beginning of the project, Sergei Kovalenko allowed the girls to combine touring and working in a group with a solo career. Therefore, perhaps the PR move is aimed at individual support for girls.
In the new composition of the Queens group, the leading role is occupied by Christina Kots-Gottlieb. Therefore, the singer’s fans are at a loss as to whether the group will become a permanent place of work, or will serve as a means of promoting a solo career.
Composition of the group Queens / Queens 2018:
- Christina Kots-Gottlieb,
- Olya Leta,
- Katya Pechkurova
Former project plans
As the producer promised, his project nevertheless became a bomb. The first performance of the new lineup caused a lot of negative reviews among Queens fans. Undoubtedly the main soloist, Christina Kots-Gottlieb, does not evoke as many negative emotions among fans as the remaining two participants. Fans who watched the performance at the Top Disco Pop concert noted the participants' absolute lack of artistry, poor choreography, lip-syncing, and overall monotony of the performance. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to judge how successful the new composition of the group will be.
The only thing that remains the same is the sexuality of the participants. Three beautiful girls are dressed in the usual mega sexy dresses for ex viagra. Otherwise, they are no different from the previous team. But fans of the Queens group will be convinced that this is just a PR stunt to attract listeners.
Also, some sources report that Sergei Kovalev changed the terms of the contract for new soloists. In the previous version, girls were not only allowed to pursue a solo career, but there was also no provision for the amount of the penalty for premature termination of the contract.
In particular, Romanovskaya boasted about the luxurious terms of the contract at the group’s presentation. She noted that not every performer can boast of such favorable conditions. Maybe this is what led to such a rapid disintegration.
Opinions about the breakup of the original Queens line-up
When asked by journalists what the former producer of the participants thought, Konstantin Meladze replied that he had been waiting for this since the formation of the team. He also noted that the former Viagra participants went through an excellent school with him, but they are unlikely to be able to repeat their previous success with the same attitude as Sergei Kovalev’s to business. The lack of a clear image and role for each participant, singing to a soundtrack and frankly weak musical compositions would definitely lead to the disintegration of the group. Meladze added that he wishes them success and hopes that the girls’ solo career will only benefit from the hype around the group.
Miseda Bagaudinova, in every possible way supports her friends “in the shop” and calls on her fans to be sympathetic to the decision of the ex-members of the “Queens” group. Only performers free from family obligations can withstand a tough touring schedule - Miseda hints at his awareness. Olga has two children and an established marriage. Santa has a new marriage and a growing son. And Tanya is yet to become a mother.
Whatever the future fate of the ex-members, Sergei Kovalev does not intend to close a profitable project, which can always be replenished with new faces. The girl band format is designed for frequent changes of participants without compromising quality. Therefore, a new line-up of performers and the Queens tour schedule have been approved.
Queen is a legendary British rock band.
The next day tickets for this concert went on sale, and although it had not yet been announced who, besides Brian, Roger and John, would take part in it, the tickets were sold out in 6 hours.
On Easter Monday 20 April 1992, Brian, Roger and John were joined by many international stars for a huge tribute concert on a stage erected at Wembley Stadium. The stadium was packed to capacity, and more than a billion viewers watched the concert on television.
In April 1992, Queen received another Ivor Novello for best single for Days Of Our Lives, and Brian also received an award for TV commercial music for the song Driven By You.
In September 1992, Brian's long-awaited album Back To The Light was finally released. In 1993, Brian held a series of concerts in Europe and the United States in support of the album. Guns N'Roses took part in several concerts. Before Christmas 1992, a double video album of the tribute concert was released, all proceeds from which were intended for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a fund specifically organized to collect income from this concert with the prospect of further growth. Funds from this fund are spent on helping people living with HIV and AIDS. In 1993 he posthumously received the Ivor Novello for his hit Living On My Own. Brian went on tour with The Brian May Band and one of the concerts at Brixton Academy was filmed and released on a live album in 1994.
In September 1994, Roger released his 3rd solo album, Happiness. In support of the album, a concert tour was organized throughout Europe.
By November 1995, Brian, Roger and John had completed the songs that had begun recording in 1991.
The long-awaited album Made In Heaven has been released worldwide. Many consider it the end of an era, as it was announced as the band's final album. In May 1997, Queen received an Ivor Novello for Best Song (both lyrics and music) for Too Much Love Will Kill You.
On November 3, 1997, the Queen Rocks collection was released, which included many of the group's rock hits. It also included a new song, No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young), written by Brian and dedicated to everyone who died young. On the occasion of the release of the new album, Brian and Roger gave a press conference in Cologne. On November 13, they were in Barcelona on the occasion of receiving the Golden Disc from the Dutch EMI. On January 5, 1998, the single No-One But You was released in the UK.
It was planned to release archival videos and concert material. Brian and Roger recorded solo albums and then intended to go on tour. a video game featuring Queen's music was also released; A large photo exhibition was held all over the world, where photographs were presented. Queen is one of the most collectible bands in the entire world and their fan base is as strong as ever.
After his death, the remaining participants tried not to destroy what he had so diligently built, recorded new albums, re-released old hits, but all this was no longer the same as before. Fans of the group are sure that the very idea of Queen died along with it.
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Biography
Queen is a British rock band that achieved widespread fame in the 70s and 80s. XX century and has hundreds of millions of fans to this day. The most famous Queen songs include such classic rock hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions”, “A Kind Of Magic”, “The Show Must Go On” and others . Video clips shot by Queen musicians also became widely known. In addition, Queen gained fame as one of the greatest live bands in rock history.Composition of the group
* Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) vocals, piano, guitar on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".
* Brian May (Brian May, 1947) guitars, harp, orchestral instruments, vocals.
* John Deacon (John Deacon, 1951) bass guitar, guitar, piano.
* Roger Taylor (Roger Taylor, 1949) drums, percussion, vocals.
Origin
The band's history begins in 1968 in the UK, when students Brian May and Tim Staffel formed the group "Smile". Brian posted a notice in the walls of his Imperial College. It stated that the band needed a drummer to play in the style of Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker (drummers for Jimi Hendrix and Cream, respectively). Dental student Roger Taylor responded. He then seemed to May and Staffel the best option, impressing them with the accuracy of the drum tuning. The main achievement of “Smile” was the opening act for Pink Floyd. However, due to intense studies and the lack of any management, the trio broke up in the spring of 1970: Tim Staffel left the group.
But May and Taylor had no intention of giving up their music careers and shared their creative ambitions with Staffel's friend and classmate Freddie (Farukh) Bulsara. He often attended Smile performances, but May and Staffel had no idea that he could sing at all. Freddie had very clear plans for the band's performance and stage work. He came up with the name “Queen” for the new group, and took the pseudonym Freddie Mercury for himself. Now the group consisted of a vocalist-keyboardist, guitarist and drummer.
Initially, Roger Taylor's old acquaintance from the Cornish band "The Reaction" Mike Growse was invited to play the role of bass guitarist, who performed at the group's first two concerts (June 27 at the Truro City Hall, Truro and July 12 at Imperial College). He was subsequently replaced by the highly gifted bassist Barry Mitchell. But, tired of the music business, he left the band in early 1971. The band's next bassist, Doug Bogie, lasted only two shows. But in February 1971, at a London disco, Brian May and Roger Taylor met the already experienced bass player John Deacon, who had come to study in London from his hometown of Leicester. After passing the audition, John took the position of bassist of the group and became the four permanent member of the lineup, which lasted almost 21 years.
History of creativity
From 1971 to 1979 one can trace the influence of other groups. Every year it becomes less noticeable, but in the seventies it is still present. Freddie himself noted more than once that their group “grew up” on Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
1973 Queen's first album of the same name (1973) included the Smile trio's song "Doing All Right". The basis of the disc was the song “Keep Yourself Alive” the first Queen single. The album was not very successful, but this was not a reason for frustration. This album was recorded over two years, at a time when the recording studio was free. The problem with the Queen album was aggravated by Brian's illness - he had hepatitis. And yet, you shouldn’t call this record a failure; it didn’t take off in the parades, but it wasn’t rejected either. Queen gives its first independent concerts in the UK, Germany and Luxembourg. Before that, they participated in the tour of other bands as an opening act.
1974 Queen II became a breakthrough and reached number 5 in the British charts, despite the fact that critical reviews were negative. The album was accused of being unfinished and lacking independence, but, surprisingly, this is precisely why Brian May considers it the best album of the group. "Sheer Heart Attack" reached number two in Britain. The album's best compositions ("Killer Queen", "Flick Of The Wrist") are among the band's best songs, and "Stone Cold Crazy" is considered a heavy metal classic (later included in the Metallica repertoire). The group participates in the Australian Sunbury Music Festival and gives its first concerts in Sweden and Finland.
Error. In 1974, Queen released two albums, the stylistically cohesive Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack. The text of the paragraph specifically describes Sheer Heart Attack. Also, unfortunately, no mention is made of Queen's triumphant concert tour in Japan.
1975 A Night At The Opera is considered Queen's greatest work. Many consider it one of the best albums in the history of rock music in general. This record turned out to be completely special - bright, melodic, with a noticeable participation of the piano, it revealed a completely different face of rock music. Nowadays, she personifies the style of the seventies. Some of the songs were written for keyboards, however, “Love Of My Life” was never performed in the album version again, and was played at concerts with Brian’s accompaniment on a 12-string semi-acoustic. The live version turned out to be better than the album version, but this roughness was still irrelevant at that moment.
And the most famous song on this album is “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It would seem that this long five-minute composition, which inexplicably combined the features of rock and pop music, opera and individual motifs of folklore, could not become popular at all, and certainly should not have soared to the top of the charts. A three-minute song was considered standard in those years, but Queen were not afraid to create this five-minute masterpiece, which a quarter of a century later in Britain would be called the song of the millennium. In addition to this, it is worth noting that the video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered the world's first music video. Videos for music have been shot before, but this case is the first example of a conscious combination of a specially created image, effects and music. The video uses optical special effects that now seem primitive: filming through a hexagonal prism and duplicating the faces of the musicians. But it is worth recognizing that even today not all videos are created with such taste. “Youre My Best Friend” and “Love Of My Life” were filmed for the same album, the latter, by the way, in the same live version with a guitar. In support of the album, Queen gives concerts in the USA, Canada, Japan and, of course, at home.
1976 "A Day at the Races" again caused a storm of indignation among critics. Queen have been accused of being a futile attempt to repeat A Night At The Opera, and the influence of the previous album is really noticeable. Brian May said that all the songs were being prepared at the same time, just some were released in 1975, and others in 1976. In any case, there is nothing surprising in the similarity of two albums by the same group, especially since “A Day At The Races” took 1st place in the British charts, and “Somebody To Love” became Mercury’s favorite song. "Tie Your Mother Down" has been played at most concerts since then. In addition, videos were shot for "Somebody To Love" and "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy". These are still the same “seventies” in the work of the group, which in a year will dramatically change course. In addition, the group gives a grandiose free concert in Hyde Park, attracting about 170 thousand people, and arranges a tour of Scotland, the USA, Japan and even Australia.
1977 “News of the World” is probably the very record in which Queen’s eighties begin to be seen. This is no longer “A Day At The Races”, the new music is generally more aggressive, closer to hard rock. Still, some inconsistencies could not be avoided: the third song of the album clearly belongs in “Sheer Heart Attack”, and “Sleeping On The Side Walk” cannot in any way be classified as the group’s masterpieces. This disc brought the group two super hits “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions”, but otherwise was not so successful, reaching number four in Britain and third in the USA. The band returns with concerts in Sweden and tours North America and Europe.
1978 “Jazz” the group’s most scandalous album. He was accused of being somewhat “pop,” but the main reason for the flurry of criticism was the video for the song “Bicycle Race,” which was banned in the States as pornographic. The group was declared unspiritual and lost part of its audience. The composition “Fat Bottomed Girls” also partly contributed to this.
“Mustafa,” which was number one on the record, also turned out to be misunderstood. In fact, the lyrics themselves are written in Arabic and sound almost like back-vocals. There are conflicting opinions about this work: some consider it a pop dance phonogram, others find a secret deep meaning in it. It is difficult to find a middle ground, since it is obvious that both of them are going too far. “Let Me Entertain You” is closer to heavy metal, but fits perfectly into this album. “Dreamers Ball” looks out of place, although it is very beautiful in its own right. The shock track of the disc “Dont Stop Me Now” one of the best Queen songs written by Freddie Mercury. This is a charge of energy, which will then end up in the “Greatest Hits” collection. Videos were made for "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Bicycle Race" and "Dont Stop Me Now". The stylish album cover was inspired by a drawing on a Berlin wall that the musicians saw while traveling around the city. Despite the criticism, "Jazz" peaked at number two in Britain and number six in the US.
1979 saw the release of “Live Killers” the concert collection “Queen”, which included live versions of the group’s most famous songs. The new album is not being released, the musicians devote themselves to concerts. Meanwhile, Freddie takes to the stage for the first time with a guitar to perform “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which will soon be included in “The Game”, but for now it is released as a single. But in a year everyone will see a completely different Queen, a group that will become the personification of rock music of the 80s and one of the most popular bands in the world to this day.
Since 1980, a new period in the work of Queen begins. Over the next 6 years, the group would develop their own style, completely different from what the musicians had demonstrated in the previous decade. The group gradually moved away from glam rock, and Mercury parted with his previous stage image: he cut his hair, grew a mustache, stopped performing in tights and acquired the appearance by which most people know him.
1980 The album “The Game” was released. He opened a new era not only in the group’s work, but in all rock music. Freddie considered it the band's best album. Finally the band abandoned all their preconceptions and recorded an album using a synthesizer. Prior to this, synthesizers were fundamentally rejected as an instrument that did not fit with the style and sound of the group, which was easily replaced by Brian’s “Red Special” guitar with its unique polyphonic sound. Compositions from this record were invariably played at every concert, and some of them are among the best created by Queen.
“Play The Game”, the title song of the disc, was accompanied by a somewhat unusual video. In the background there is a fire burning in it, from which musicians emerge - one of the first uses of graphics. Mercury played the live version of “Play The Game” on the piano. Deacon's song "Another One Bites the Dust" was particularly successful. This item belongs to a style that is unusual for Queen. It can be called disco-funk. “Another One Bites The Dust” is definitely one of the band's most successful songs, memorable with incredible bass lines and distinctive vocals. Freddie himself loved this song very much, and the entire album was developed taking into account its character. The idea paid off “The Game” was structured thematically, and was not just a collection of songs. At the same time, the group recorded music for the science-fiction film Flash Gordon. It was well received in the UK, but failed at the American box office. It should be noted that in “Flash Gordon” the band uses the synthesizer as the dominant instrument for the first time and does it very professionally.
1981 The “Greatest Hits” compilation is released. Together with David Bowie, the song “Under Pressure” is recorded, which is still being released as a single, but is already enjoying enormous success, reaching number one both in England and in a number of other countries.
1982 was marked by grandiose concert tours: Queen gave about 70 concerts in the UK, Western Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan). A new album, “Hot Space,” was released, the main hit of which was that same “Under Pressure.” British television is making a film about the concert, which will appear in 2004 under the title Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl.
1983 The group pauses briefly, all musicians work on solo projects.
1984 The Works album reached number two in the UK charts. The song “Radio Ga Ga” topped the charts in 19 (!) countries around the world. At the same time, the video clip filmed for the song “I Want To Break Free” was subjected to severe criticism for scenes with dressing in women's clothing, which, however, did not prevent the song itself from becoming the official anthem of the African National Congress. The band performs at the Golden Rose festival in Montreux, the recording can be seen on the DVD "Greatest Video Hits II".
1985 Queen participates in the Rock In Rio festival. This performance will later appear on DVD, as will the May 11 concert in Tokyo. On July 14, 1985, the group triumphantly performed at the large-scale charity concert Live Aid. 20 years later, this performance is recognized as the best sung live by a performer. After this concert, Brian May said that it was then that he felt real pride in his work. “Queen is the best band in the world today!” - said the guitarist.
1986 Queen wrote the soundtrack to the science fiction film Highlander and used it as the basis for their new album A Kind Of Magic. The album was a huge success, Queen became one of the most popular rock bands in the world. The musicians organized the “Magic Tour” - a series of concerts throughout Europe. The three biggest concerts in London, Knebworth and Budapest attracted 400,000 people, and the concert in Budapest was the first performance by a Western rock band in the history of Eastern Europe in general, and Hungary in particular. The tour itself attracted around a million people across Europe. Nothing like this has been seen by any rock band or rock singer since the Beatlemania of the 60s. "Magic Tour" will be the band's last concert tour. This year, rumors about Freddie's illness began. Freddie denied this, citing his healthy appearance.
1989 this year would be more correctly attributed to the nineties in the work of Queen. The album “The Miracle” is very different from all previous works. Freddie's voice changed a little, he shaved his mustache and began to dress more formally. Five singles are released along with the album. The release of the clips fuels rumors about Mercury's illness, which are now actively refuted by both the band's musicians and Freddie himself. The strange cover of “The Miracle” also became a cause for controversy, but, most likely, precisely because of the singer’s possible illness. The album's title track is the five-minute "The Miracle," but nothing makes you wonder about Queen's future like "Scandal."
In fact, the nineties for Queen began back in 1989, with the album “The Miracle”. Even an ignorant person can distinguish Freddie's voice on the last two albums. Perhaps this was due to the direct influence of the disease, but it is known for certain that in early 1990 Mercury quit smoking due to developing lung disease.
1990 no information appears about the group, all its members report that “everything is fine,” however, such a drastic change in lifestyle and image caused natural surprise and anxiety among fans. Queen won the Brit Awards and this would be Freddie's last public appearance. He did not make a speech, saying simply: “Thank you, goodnight.”
1991 The last year of Queen's actual existence. Shortly before Mercury's death, the album “Innuendo” (“Indirect Hint”) was released. Many consider it one of Queen's most outstanding works. The album opens with a song called “Innuendo”. In its composition, it is reminiscent of “Bohemian Rhapsody” - the same six minutes instead of the standard three, a combination of different musical styles.
For the second song, “Im Going Slightly Mad,” a gloomy black and white video clip was shot, full of not indirect, but quite transparent hints about Freddie’s upcoming death. However, the most famous song of the album, without a doubt, is the last “The Show Must Go On”, in which the lyrical hero wonders about the meaning of existence and expresses hope for gaining physical and mental freedom after death. Its chorus says:
Show must go on.
My heart is breaking inside
Maybe my makeup is peeling off
But my smile remains with you.
"The Show Must Go On" is definitely one of Queen's best songs. But without knowing the history of the group, it is impossible to understand how much effort Freddie took to record it. Mercury's voice does not betray his illness. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to perform such a song knowing that death is imminent. Written by Brian May, it seems to have been created especially for Freddie.
Before his death, Mercury ordered that all proceeds from the re-release of the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” be donated to the Terrence Higgins AIDS charity. He died on November 24, 1991.
1992 On April 20, a concert in memory of Freddie Mercury took place at London's Wembley Stadium, organized by the remaining musicians of the group. That day, all those whom Freddie considered his friends and with whom he worked personally took the stage: Joe Elliott, George Michael, Axl Rose, Elton John, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Seal Samuel, Roger Dartley, Any Lennox, Lisa Stansfield and Mercury's favorite actress Liza Minnelli. Spike Edney, who played keyboards for many of Queen's concerts, called the concert "Fred Aid", recalling Queen's phenomenal performance at 1985's Live Aid. It was a concert in memory of Freddie Mercury, but, in fact, it was a farewell to the Queen group.
1995 The last studio album of the group “Queen” was released, entitled “Made in Heaven”, composed of session recordings of the group in the spring of 1991, performed in the Mountain studio, two re-arranged compositions by Freddie from his solo album Mr. Bad Guy (“Made In Heaven”, “I Was Born To Love You”), one composition by Roger Taylor’s group “The Cross” (“Heaven For Everyone”) and some previously unreleased compositions. It is noteworthy that “A Winters Tale” was the last composition written by Mercury, and “Mother Love” was the last recording of Freddie’s vocals.
Our days
John Deacon said it best about this time: “There is no point in continuing. Freddie cannot be replaced." After 1995, he stopped his music career, appearing only once on stage in 1997. However, Brian and Roger continue to perform with other artists.
After Mercury's terrible death, Queen's soloists at individual concerts and recordings were George Michael, Robbie Williams and the band Five. However, the most successful was the union of musicians with the representative of British blues rock, Paul Rodgers. The project is called “Queen + Paul Rogers. Return of the Champions." The musicians go on tour, perform traditional Queen songs and gather decent audiences.
In 2006, Brian May announced that he would be recording a new studio album with Paul Rodgers. It also became known that a new tour of the group would be organized in 2008.
English rock band, one of the most successful in the history of music of the 20th century. The most famous hits Queen are " Bohemian Rhapsody», « we will Rock You», « We Are The Champions», « A Kind Of Magic», « The Show Must Go On" and others. Members of the group: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
The guitarist is considered to be the founder of the group Brian May). In 1968 Brian and his friend Tim Staffel decided to take up music and hung it within the walls of the London Imperial College announcement. The drummer was one of the first to respond Roger Taylor. Initially the group was called " 1984 "(in honor of the novel of the same name by George Orwell), and with the arrival of Roger it was transformed into " Smile».
Smile's biggest achievement was opening for Pink Floyd.
One of the most devoted fans of the group was a friend and classmate of Tim Staffel - a student Illing College of Art Freddy Balsara. In 1970, the trio broke up: Staffel decided to leave " Smile" Freddie took the place of vocalist. It was he who came up with the name " Queen", developed the group's logo, and took a pseudonym Mercury.
Over the course of the year, the band changed several bassists. In February 1971, a fourth permanent member joined the group - John Deacon. From this point on, Queen's lineup remained unchanged for twenty years.
The group rehearsed a lot and gave concerts, mainly at student venues. In 1972, the musicians signed a contract with a record company Trident.
The terms of the contract were quite harsh: the band members received only 60 pounds a week and could use the studio mainly at night.
Debut album " QUEEN" was released on July 13, 1973. At the same time, the group went on their first tour, opening for Mott The Hoople, and later gave her first independent concerts in Great Britain, Germany and Luxembourg. Second album - " QUEEN 2"- came out in March 1974. Despite negative reviews from critics, it enjoyed considerable popularity and took 5th place in the British charts. The next record is called “ Sheer Heart Attack", released the same year, rose to second place on the charts, and the song " Killer Queen"became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 1975, the group went on their first independent tour of the USA and Japan. Queen's popularity was already such that tickets for concerts were sold out instantly, and crowds of fans were waiting for the musicians at the airport.
The album “A Night At the Opera,” released the same year, became four times platinum and has been repeatedly named one of the best albums of modern music. The six-minute composition "Bohemian Rhapsody" became one of Queen's most famous songs. The single stayed in first place on the English charts for nine weeks, and twenty-five years later the British called “Bohemian Rhapsody” the song of the millennium.
The video made for this song marked the beginning of the music video industry.
The next album was released in 1976. " A Day At The Races"caused a storm of indignation from critics: they accused the group of trying to repeat the previous record. But negative reviews from journalists could not prevent the album from taking 1st place in the British chart, and the song “ Somebody To Love"became one of Queen's most popular compositions.
On September 18, 1976, the group organized a grandiose free concert in London's Hyde Park, which was attended by about 170 thousand people.
Next albums – “ News Of The World" (1977) and " Jazz"(1978) - also became bestsellers. At the end of 1979, a new period began in the group’s work. The musicians dramatically changed their image: everyone except Brian May cut their hair short, and Freddie also grew a mustache and stopped performing in tights. In the 1980 album " The Game» Queen used a synthesizer for the first time, something they had previously refused on principle.
In the following years, the group toured a lot and recorded new songs. In 1985, Queen first participated in the festival Rock in Rio", and then takes part in a grandiose charity concert " Live Aid" The twenty-minute performance was unanimously recognized by both critics and the public as the highlight of the program. Queen was rightly called the best and most famous band in the world.
The following year, the musicians wrote the soundtrack for the science fiction film " Highlander" Album " A Kind Of Magic", which included compositions for this film, started in the British charts immediately at number one and remained in the top five for 13 weeks in a row.
In the same year took place Magic Tour"- the last concert tour, which attracted a total of more than a million spectators. No group has seen such a scale since the Beatlemania of the 60s. The tour kicked off on June 7 in Newcastle, with proceeds from the first performance going to the International Children's Fund.
Queen was the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain. Tickets for the concert in Budapest were sold out long before the start of the tour.
After " Magic Tour"The group no longer went on tour. This gave rise to many rumors about the imminent breakup of Queen, as well as about possible health problems with vocalist Freddie Mercury. Nevertheless, the group continued to actively work in the studio and shoot video clips. During this time, the musicians also worked on solo projects.
In 1987 Freddie met with Montserrat Caballe, they soon decided to record the song “ Barcelona" As a result, an entire album was recorded, released in October 1988, and the title song became the official anthem of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.
In 1989 the album “ The Miracle", which took first place in the charts of most European countries. The disc received praise from critics for almost the first time in the band's history, and Queen were named the best rock band of the 80s.
On 18 February 1990, the British Recording Industry presented Queen with its Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award.
In February 1991, the album “ Innuendo", which included the compositions " Innuendo», « I'm Going Slightly Mad», « These Are The days Of Our Lives", and " The Show Must Go On", which became one of the most famous songs of the group. The video was shot in May. These AretheDaysof Our Lives", which became the last Queen video.
On November 23, 1991, the disease was officially announced Freddie Mercury. The next day he died of pneumonia, worsened by AIDS. On April 12, 1992, a concert in memory of Freddie took place at Wembley Stadium, in which many famous musicians took part. In 1995, the album “ Made In Heaven", which included materials recorded back in 1990-1991.
It was announced that this was the group's last disc. In the following years Brian May And Roger Taylor periodically performed with other musicians, and in 2002 the musical “ we will Rock You" It was successful in different countries, including Russia.
In 2005, a tour was organized Return Of The Champion", in which Brian and Roger were joined by an English musician Paul Rogers, former band member Free And Bad Company. It was soon announced that a new studio album would be recorded. Disk " The Cosmos Rocks"was released in 2008 and at the same time another grandiose tour took place" Queen + Paul Rodgers" The tour opened with a charity concert in Kharkov on Freedom Square. It gathered the largest audience in the history of the group - about 350 thousand viewers.
On September 15-16, 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers concerts took place in Moscow, at the Olimpiysky sports complex.
Discography. Studio albums and compilations:
1973 Queen
1974 Queen II
1974 Sheer Heart Attack
1975 A Night At The Opera
1976 A Day At The Races
1977 News Of The World
1978 Jazz
1980 The Game
1980 Flash Gordon
1981 Greatest Hits
1982 Hot Space
1984 The Works
1985 The Complete Works
1986 A Kind Of Magic
1989 The Miracle
1991 Innuendo
1991 Greatest Hits II
1994 Greatest Hits I & II
1995 Made In Heaven
1997 Queen Rocks
1999 Greatest Hits III
2000 Platinum Collection
2005 Return Of The Champions
On November 24, 1991, the outstanding vocalist and lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, died of bronchopneumonia. After his death, the band's musicians officially announced that they had lost not just a talented vocalist, but a family member.
Biography
Freddie Mercury's real name is Farrukh Bulsara. He was born in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. His friends called him Freddie, and he took the surname Mercury only in 1970 for astrological reasons. The parents of the future singer were of Parsi origin; his father worked as an accountant in the British government.
At the age of eight, Freddie's parents sent him to study in India, at the English school of St. Peter's, not very far from Bombay. This school emphasized English sports, but not all of them were to Freddie's liking. Most of all he loved boxing, hockey and sprinting. He also liked drawing.
Music
But Freddie’s main hobby since his school years was music. He constantly listened to records (mostly with Indian music, less often with Western music), which is why he sometimes even skipped classes. The school principal noted his abilities and offered Freddie's parents to pay for additional piano lessons.
In 1958, Mercury and several of his school friends formed a rock band and began performing at anniversaries and other events. Freddie was a pianist in that band. In 1962, after finishing school, he returned to Zanzibar, but in 1964 there was unrest there, and many British and Indians left the country. Freddie's family decided to move to England.
Freddie was already 17 years old, and he decided to go to art college, but first, to get the required score, he had to graduate from a polytechnic school. In 1966 the task was completed and he was enrolled in a graphic illustration course at Ealing Art College. In 1969, Freddie received a diploma in graphic design.
Creative path
In college, Freddie met student Tim Staffell, who already had a band called Smile. Tim was the band's lead singer and bass player, but Freddie was also inspired by the playing of fellow Smile guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Inspired, Freddie became interested in music again and began singing at home with his friend Chris Smith, with whom they lived in the same apartment at that time.
After graduating from college, Freddie moved to Roger Taylor, and they initially sold Freddie's paintings. But on August 13, 1969, Freddie met the Ibex team, and within ten days he knew their entire repertoire. He added his own songs to it and went with Ibex to Bolton for the festival.
Having returned, Freddie decided to look for a new group where he could work as a vocalist. The Sour Milk Sea collective was found, where they hired him immediately when they heard a voice that had not only a wide range, but also extraordinary beauty and power. Freddie became so close to guitarist and vocalist Chris Chesney that he invited him to live with him; this did not please the other members, and the group soon disbanded.
In the spring of 1970, Tim Staffell left the band Smile and Freddie took over as vocalist. He changed the name of the group to Queen, and his real last name to a well-known pseudonym. Freddie's further fate largely coincides with the fate of the team in which he worked until his death.
Queen and solo career
The group quickly became popular thanks to Freddie's songs, and he was always in the foreground. His incredible energy charged the hall, and there was no end to the fans. In 1975, when the musicians toured Japan, screaming crowds accompanied them everywhere. This country made a special impression on Freddie; he began collecting Japanese antiques and paintings.
In October 1979, Freddie fulfilled a long-time dream - he performed with the Royal Orchestra. He sang live, starting the performance with his famous Bohemian Rhapsody, and received a standing ovation.
In 1982 and 1987, Queen took breaks from their performances, and during these periods Freddie did solo performances. At first these were single singles, for example, a song for Love Kills from the restored silent film Metropolis, and in 1985 his solo album Mr. Bad Guy.
On July 13, 1985, a grand concert by Queen took place at Wembley Stadium, which went down in history. Exactly a year later, the group gave another concert of equal scope at the same stadium. On August 9, 1986, Queen performed with Freddie Mercury for the last time.
A significant event in Freddie Mercury’s career was his meeting with Montserat Caballe in 1987. Together with her, he managed to perform several times at festivals with the hit Barcelona, which Mercury dedicated to the city where Caballe was born, and even recorded a joint album.
Illness and death
Freddie carefully hid the fact that he had HIV. Although rumors about this leaked to the press back in 1986, only those closest to him knew about the diagnosis. But the day before his death, the musician gave his last interview, in which he made a sensational admission that he had AIDS.
On November 24, 1991, the heart of the great singer and musician stopped. Freddie died in London, at home. The cause of death was bronchial pneumonia, which he developed due to AIDS.
On April 20, 1992, a memorial concert in honor of Freddie Mercury took place at Wembley Stadium with the participation of many rock stars. On November 6, 1995, members of Queen released an album with Freddie's last songs.
