Celebrities come and go but occasionally history gives us a unique individual who is celebrated by multiple generations.
Freddie Mercury is one such person.
In a self-fulling prophesy, Freddie Mercury once said: “I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend.”
But why is this the case? 30 years following the death of Queen’s front man, on 24 November 1991, Kindred. is remembering what made Freddie Mercury so influential.
It goes without saying he had the ability to write incredible lyrics, writing, among many others, some of Queens most iconic tracks - "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Killer Queen".
Perhaps more importantly though, his voice was - and remains - like no other. Freddie had the huge range of almost four octaves. He believed that it was his four extra incisors, which created extra space in his mouth, that enabled him to sing so well.
These extra teeth, which gave him his famous overbite, were a source of great insecurity for the singer. It is through this that he teaches us to never let our insecurities prevent us from achieving what we are born to do. From this we can all learn a lesson of self-acceptance, enabling us to celebrate our differences as the gifts they are rather than using them to beat ourselves up.
In fact, we could all benefit from adopting a little bit of Freddie’s attitude:
“I always knew I was a star, and now the rest of the world seems to agree with me.”
Musical abilities aside, there is something about the way Freddie celebrated his own uniqueness that allows us to celebrate our own.
Farrokh Bulsara, later known as Freddie Mercury, grew up a shy and introverted boy. It is probably fair to say that none of his classmates at boarding school in India would have suspected he would become one of the most recognisable names and voices in British music history.
But he did just that, famous for adopting a flamboyant and charismatic persona on stage, Freddie Mercury challenged what it meant to be the lead singer of a rock band.
On stage he was able to make a Queen concert more than a mere rendition of their album, but rather “a theatrical event,” teaching us all to throw away our inhibitions.
It was also through his fashion choices that he taught us to express ourselves. Freddie blurred the line between masculine and feminine, helping pave the way for the likes of Harry Styles. Wearing flamboyant and, of course, theatrical outfits on stage, it is often his clothes, as well as his music, that still draws the younger generations to him.
Perhaps we should all keep in mind the fact that Freddie once said: “I dress to kill, but tastefully” when we are getting dressed in the morning.
AIDS related complications, as they did with so many, robbed us of Freddie Mercury at the young age of 45.
Yet he continues to speak to all of us, allowing ourselves to not only except what makes us different, but celebrate it, reminding us we can be whoever we want to be. It is for this reason that Freddie Mercury’s influence still lives on so strongly today.
Tell us your most memorable thing about Freddie Mercury in the comments below!
Comments