According to Rolling Stone magazine, the singing of Canadian musician Mark Martel is incredibly similar to Freddie Mercury's vocals. His participation in the touring project The Queen Extravaganza was the result of winning an online audition. The singer also performed vocals in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Queen's drummer Roger Taylor and the band's guitarist Brian May proposed an incredible touring project in 2012. "The Queen Extravaganza" was meant to celebrate the band's anniversary. One of the candidates who took part in the audition was Mark Martel.
The path to the heights
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1976. The child was born in Montreal on November 16. Passion for music has always distinguished the boy's family. The interest in her and Mark was passed on.
After school, the graduate decided to get an education at the seminary. He went to study in Saskatchewan. With friends during his studies, the young man founded the "Downhere" group. They chose Christian rock as their direction. The guys performed at local events.
Gradually, the skill of the musicians became higher and higher. A few years later, the students decided to tour outside the country. The team then signed to Word Records and began work in Nashville, settling in the United States. The group recorded and presented 10 albums to fans.
In September 2011, Mark heard about the online qualifying competition for The Queen Extravaganza, started by The Queen, Martel recorded the song “Somebody to Love” in his performance. The video received over a million views in a few days. Mark was among the winners and went on a concert tour in 2012 with the organizers, which lasted a month and a half.
After the tour ended, Roger Taylor decided to listen to the songs recorded during the tour at rehearsals. As soon as Martel, who performed "Bohemian Rhapsody", sang a few notes, the musicians who performed at Mercury realized that they were hearing Freddie himself, so much resembled the sound of the original.
Finest hour
More than once, even the musicians themselves wondered if the song could have been previously recorded from the voice of Freddie himself. Mark took part in several projects that required a similar performance. Invariably, all concerts were held with great success.
The musician retired from The Queen Extravaganza in 2017. He took up a solo career. The singer also collaborated with the bands Black Jacket Symphony and Ultimate Queen Celebration. The vocalist performed songs of the legendary band The Queen in 2018 at a concert in May 2018.
For the first time in September 2010 there was information about the start of work on the film "Bohemian Rhapsody". The final list of participants was approved by November 2015. In June 2018, journalists confirmed information about Martel's consent to work on the film. In the film about the formation of the group and its soloist, he had to perform part of the parts.
True, it was also mentioned that most of the scenes were based on archival materials. But only the most sophisticated music lovers with perfect pitch could distinguish them from Martel's voice. The starring actor Rami Malek did not sing, so the filmmakers contacted the authors of The Queen Extravaganza.
With their consent, work began at Abbey Road Studios to record vocals for a film with Rami and Mark. First of all, they wrote fragments that were not preserved in the records. According to the producer of the film, without Mark, the shooting and the premiere simply would not have taken place. However, all the information about where Martel sings, and where the original sound is, is kept secret.
Cinematography and solo career
The action begins in the 1070s. The student-designer Farrukh Bulsara, who works as a loader at the airport, gets to the concert of the group "Smile". After the performance, the guy meets with the musicians and finds out that the group was left without a soloist. Farrukh offered himself instead of the departed. The decision was approved by May and Taylor. For the stage, Farrukh took the pseudonym Freddie Mercury, who later made him famous.
With the suggestion of a new vocalist, the band took the name "The Queen" and began touring the UK. The soloist began an affair with Mary Austin working in a fashion boutique. The guys are selling a concert mini-van to record their first album.
The EMI manager drew attention to the guys working in the studio. He gave Elton John's agent, Reed, the team's demo disc. The agent liked the performance. He met with musicians and offered cooperation. Success came in 1975. Tours overseas began.
The work on the groundbreaking single "Bohemian Rhapsody" took a particularly long time. The guys achieved an unusual harmony in the sound of the 6-minute track. However, representatives of the record company refused to include a single of an unusual format in the album “A Night at the Opera”. The song was first played on the radio. It quickly became a hit, making the band famous as well.
Freddie and Mary could see each other less and less with the beginning of the new tour. Then the relationship came to naught. By the early eighties, a conflict began to mature in the team. Freddie's bisexuality came to the fore. After a real flurry of questions from the press, the soloist decided to leave his colleagues to start solo performances. After a contract with CBS Records, he presented the album Mr. Bad Guy in 1985.
Plans and their implementation
The musician increasingly limited communication with those around him, withdrawing into himself. Very soon he realized that the news was being hidden from him. Having passed the examination, the singer learns about the presence of HIV infection.
Mary achieves a meeting with him, telling her ex-lover about the upcoming concert. She suggests reuniting with colleagues. Freddie meets with musicians in London, asks for forgiveness and offers a joint concert. It took place on July 13, 1985 with great success. The Queen's performance at Wembley becomes the highlight.
Martel became famous not only for the super similarity of his voice with the vocals of Mercury. Attitudes changed after the release of their first full solo album, Impersonator. Fans recognized Mark as both a songwriter and a performer. After the success, Martel said that from now on he did not want to imitate anyone, he would remain only himself.
The collection combines rock, jazz, and pop directions. The work demonstrated the musician's versatility and talent. The main song was the composition of the same name to the album. In it, the performer revealed himself as a great lyric singer who radically changed his singing style for a new song. From “Magnetic” to “Dead Ringer”, not only the lyrics and sound change, all the singles are combined, making the collection worth listening to from the first to the last note.
Until 2018, the singer has released 8 discs. The latest album, Thunderbolt & Lightning, includes cover versions of The Queen. The vocalist himself noticed that everyone hears only what they themselves want. Therefore, he is completely satisfied that the album is only his work.
Mark took place in his personal life. His chosen one is called Crystal. They officially became husband and wife. So far, there is no baby in the family, but the parents are planning his appearance.
The video recorded for the selection, "Somebody to Love", has received over 16 million views by November 2018.
