Queen fans are only just learning the origins of Freddie Mercury’s stage name as Brian May and Roger Taylor recall the inspiration behind iconic singer’s decision to ditch his real surname in the early ’70s

Queen legends Brian May and Roger Taylor surprised their younger legion of fans on Monday evening by revealing the origins of Freddie Mercury’s iconic stage name. 

Born Farrokh Bulsara, the late singer spent the fist 18-years of his life in Zanzibar before political and social unrest resulted in his family fleeing the African archipelago in 1964 and moving to the United Kingdom. 

He would go on to become one of the world’s best known performers with Queen, enjoying more than two decades of prolonged success before his death of AIDS related bronchial pneumonia in 1991, aged just 45. 

But while seasoned Queen fans will likely know all there is to know about Mercury’s career, his life and his iconic band, those of a younger persuasion were surprised on Monday after discovering the inspiration for his name change.

Addressing guests while launching a remixed and remastered edition of their self-titled debut album on Monday evening, guitarist May and drummer Taylor revealed it was lifted from 1973 track My Fairy King, which includes the fan-favourite line ‘My mother Mercury.’ 

Queen legends Brian May and Roger Taylor surprised their younger legion of fans on Monday evening by revealing the origins of Freddie Mercury’s iconic stage name

Mercury would enjoy more than two decades of success with Queen before his death in 1991 

‘He didn’t call himself Mercury at that point,’ recalled May. ‘He was still Freddie Bulsara. To his mum he was Farook Bulsara, so we were quite surprised with the mother Mercury line. 

‘We wondered if it was biographical, and shortly after that he said, “I’m changing my name, I’m going to be Freddie Mercury from now on.”‘ 

Taylor added: ‘It was in our management office actually, which was just down the road in Wardour Street at the time, I think above the Flamingo Club. 

‘We were about to go to Manchester for a show and he just turned round to us all and said, “Dears, from now on I’m called Mercury.” 

I said, “Right, shall we get on the bus then?”‘ 

The two founding band-members also paid tribute to Mercury’s extraordinary legacy and his unique ability to impact the lives of fans across the world. 

‘He found his voice and he found the means to use it,’ said May. ‘He was a colossal force, but as you’ve seen, he became front-man didn’t he? Prophetic really.

‘He became this wonderful emblem in front of us, and a great musician, a great writer, a person who could reach to the back of any gig, whether it was the Marquee or the back of an arena in Argentina, he reached every person in that show.’ 

The singer changed his name after picking it from a line in early Queen song My Fairy King 

L-R: Queen band-members John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and Brian May 

Despite his obvious strengths, Taylor admitted Mercury sang like a ‘manic goat’ when they first got together. 

The drummer, 75, explained how the late singer’s famously operatic singing voice left his mother horrified when the band first started out.

Roger said Freddie – who died in 1991 of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS –  ‘turned out to be wonderful’, but the distinctive vibrato for which he is known took some fine tuning. 

Speaking at the launch of the band’s remastered eponymous debut album – originally released in 1973 – he said: ‘I don’t think you realise how dreadful he sounded before.

‘I mean, he sounded like some manic goat. He sounded extraordinary, his vibrato. My mother’s face when she saw him…’ 

 Despite his obvious strengths, Taylor admitted Mercury sang like a ‘manic goat’ when they first got together (pictured left with Brain May in 2023)

The drummer explained how the late singer (pictured in 1985) left his mother horrified when the band first started out

Roger added: ‘He turned out to be our wonderful Freddie whom we will never forget.

The drummer also admitted they had full confidence in their abilities during those early years. 

‘We had confidence and faith,’ he said. ‘Because we could play, and we believed in Freddie.’   

Despite Queen splitting after Freddie’s death at the age of 45, Roger and Brian May have continued to tour under the band’s name, with lead vocalist Adam Lambert.

The special launch event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel celebrated the newly mixed, mastered, expanded edition release of Queen’s iconic self-titled debut album.

Matt Everitt hosted the evening which included a Q&A with Brian and Roger, followed by an album playback. 

The band have completely reworked their debut album, more than 50-years after its original release.

The mammoth six CD release features a rearranged track-listing, alternative takes, demo versions and live recording – notably from their very first gig in 1970. 

Taylor said Mercury ‘turned out to be wonderful’, but the distinctive vibrato for which he is known took some fine tuning (L-R Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger, John Deacon)

‘I mean, he sounded like some manic goat. He sounded extraordinary, his vibrato. My mother’s face when she saw him…’ he explained (pictured in 2019)

Speaking to Guitar.com, Brian admitted the album is now in a better state than it was upon its initial release in1973. 

He said: ‘I’m not saying the original version was bad – it just wasn’t what we dreamed of. Freddie  and John, too, were always conscious of this thing in our past which seemed like it couldn’t be fixed.

‘Every instrument has been re-examined from the bottom up. The guitars were originally recorded very dry, so we’ve remedied that. 

‘I remember my dad saying, “There’s no ambience, Brian. I don’t feel like I’m in the room with you playing next to me.”

‘But we weren’t in a position to lay down the law, and we felt that if we stepped out of line we would lose the opportunity altogether.’

May also insisted the reworked album is not a remaster.   

‘This is a brand new 2024 rebuild of the entire Queen debut album,’ the guitarist wrote on his official website.  

‘All the performances are exactly as they originally appeared in 1973, but every instrument has been revisited to produce the ‘live’ ambient sounds we would have liked to use originally. 

‘The result is Queen as it would have sounded with today’s knowledge and technology – a first.’ 

Mercury onstage with Queen at Madison Square Gardens in 1977. Despite becoming one of Britain’s greatest vocalists, the band were unconvinced during their early performances  

After the special launch event at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, Taylor did the Can-Can in Soho with his daughters Tigerlily (centre), Rory (right) and Lola (left)

A 1978 promotional shot of Queen (L-R): Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deason 

Speaking at a press conference to launch the album, the band revealed every drum beat had been augmented, because they hated the kit originally used by Roger while recording the album in the early ’70s. 

‘The performances are exactly as they were,’ he explained. ‘They have not been replaced, they haven’t been added to, but we’ve just changed the sound, really, just to make it sound better, the way it should have sounded.’  

Heading out after the launch party on Monday evening, Roger did the Can-Can in Soho with his daughters Tigerlily, Rory and Lola. 

The family enjoyed a night out in London, with Tigerlily, 30, sharing the moment they decided to break out and dance down the street on Instagram on Friday. 

The model showed off her long legs as she threw them into the air, with Roger also giving it his all. 

Rory, 38, struggled to keep up, while Lola, 24, giggled in the short clip. 

Mercury was known for his flamboyant stage persona (seen here onstage with Queen in 1975)

Tigerlily captioned the post: ‘Da da daaaa da da da daaaa BDE, big dork energy. Can-canning around soho with these freaks last night’. 

She added about her sister Rory: ‘I can’t. The lack of coordination and look of confusion’. 

Tigerlily is the daughter of Roger and his ex-wife Debbie, who were together for 15 years before splitting in 2004.

The exes also share daughter Lola and a son Rufus, 33 – who is a touring drummer for the Queen + Adam Lambert stage shows. 

Roger is also a father to son Felix, 44, and a daughter Rory, who is a GP, who he shares with Dominique Beyrand.