Singer Sounding Exactly Like Freddie Mercury Brings Celine To Tears With Queen Megahit

Mar 16, 2021 by apost team

Formed in 1970, Queen is one of the world's best-known rock bands of all time. With their record-smashing hits that continue to recruit fans even today, Queen has a unique style that resonates with people from all walks of life. Today, Queen fans range from young teens to senior citizens, all of them bound by the genius musical abilities that this band was able to put forth. 

Since lead singer and pianist Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, and the retirement of bassist John Deacon in 1997, the remaining members, Brian May and Roger Taylor have renamed the band and continued to tour under the band name Queen+ with other musical artists. Today, the permanent members are Adam Lambert and Paul Rogers. 

Canadian-born Marc Martel is a seasoned performer and an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right, most notable through his work with the Christian band Downhere. Martel rose to viral fame after posting a video of himself singing “Somebody to Love.” The video gained over a million views in just a few days due to the similarities between Martel’s voice and the voice of Queen’s iconic late vocalist Freddie Mercury.

The video was an audition for the official touring of Queen's tribute band, Queen Extravaganza. His audition paved the way for a path of success that Martel had not anticipated. Martel may be used to working under the pressure of living up to the legacy of Freddie Mercury night after night, but nothing could prepare him for performing in front of a living legend and unparalleled vocalist Celine Dion in 2017.

Martel's caliber as a singer was already tested and was met with rave reviews while he was in the band Downhere. While the music he created and sang during was not the hard rock that Queen is known for per se, the band won an incredible number of awards for their music when Martel was a lead singer with them. Martel had certainly made a significant mark on the contemporary Christian and Gospel music before the Downhere went on an indefinite hiatus in 2013.

This gave Martel more opportunity to pursue other projects because by then Martel had become somewhat of a viral sensation already. In 2011, Queen began the search for members for their tribute band, Queen Extravaganza. Auditions were held to create the tribute band, and they would be judged by original Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. Taylor says on the official Queen Extravaganza site, "It’s our own official tribute band.”

With so many talented fans out there, the auditions had poured in but Martel quickly emerged as a fan favorite when his audition video was posted to Youtube on September 20, 2011. He chose the song, "Somebody To Love," and his voice bore a striking resemblance to late lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, which fans picked up on right away. Huffington Post wrote about Martel's audition, "Martel distills the song to its bare essence, a no-frills performance anchored by a voice that's almost eerily Mercuryesque." This unique aspect of his voice led him to win the competition and become a part of the coveted tribute band. 

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Queen Extravaganza toured North American and Canada twice during 2012 going on to 2013, which was quite a busy schedule. However, his talents were not only appreciated during this time but his likeness to Mercury's voice was continually highlighted. Martel remained part of the Queen Extravaganza until the end of 2016, and in 2017, became a feature in the project titled The Ultimate Queen Celebration.

According to its website, Martel was the perfect match for this project, which is "an explosive, attention-commanding tribute where some of the most iconic rock anthems of all time collide with a theatrical performance style and eye-popping production. Martel says about it, "You could call it a greatest hits show with a twist where I get to explore other things that I wish Freddie could have recorded himself and wonder what could have been."

It was while working on this project that Martel made a guest appearance on Radio Canada TV when Celine Dion requested to hear “Somebody to Love,” the song that set him on the course to his thriving success. When Martel took the stage, accompanied by a choir and string section, Dion was at first surprised to see that her request was granted.

As soon as Martel belts out the first notes of the song, Dion is moved to tears by the sheer beauty of Martel's voice. This is a true testament to the power of Martel’s unique voice and the limitlessness of his talent; one of the greatest vocalists of our time was overcome with emotion upon hearing him sing. 

Dion continued to be entranced with the performance, singing along with Martel from her seat as the song's notes waft through the studio. The sheer beauty of the choir and orchestra adds depth and intensity to the performance and makes this video so impressive. At the end of the performance, Dion jumps up for a standing ovation, her face in awe and she looks seemingly at a loss for words. After gaining her composure, Dion goes over and repeatedly thanks and hugs Martel. 

The song, too, has an inherent power that can move anyone who listens to it. In 2011 when Martel chose this song as his audition piece, he did so deliberately. "I thought lyrically, that song is so perfect for right now," he told the Wall Street Journal. "It’s just a guy crying out that he’s tired and can’t get ahead, and most people in America can relate to that…I know I can." 

Martel has experienced continued success after his performance in front of Dion. While actor Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury in the biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2018, Martel was the singing voice of Mercury, providing all of the new recordings the film needed. Graham King, the producer of the film, said about Martel, "Literally, you could close your eyes and it’s Freddie. And that’s a very tough thing to do." In another interview with Film Journal, King also said, "It's hard to find someone who can sing like Freddie Mercury and I'm not sure the movie would have happened if we didn't have Marc." 

Martel has a truly incredible talent, and we are glad he is appreciated for it! 

What did you think of this amazing performance? Did you have a similar reaction to Celine Dion? Tell us your thought, and if you know someone who loves Celine Dion or is a Freddie Mercury fan, pass this video along to make their day!