Brian May defends Yungblud over cover of Queen's We Are The Champions

21 December 2022, 12:22

Queen guitarist Brian May and Yungblud — Queen guitarist Brian May has praised Yungblud's Queen covr. Picture: 1. Aldara Zarraoa/Redferns/Getty 2. Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The legendary guitarist has praised the artist's Queen cover and defended him from haters online.

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Brian May has hit back at criticism of Yungblud's performance of Queen's We Are The Champions.

The guitar legend was flooded with opinions after he re-shared the Doncaster rocker's rendition of the 1977 hit, which he hailed "very classy".

He had captioned his post: “Every now and then, while idly scrolling in the park, you come upon something that makes you go ‘wow.'

“And you just have to press that ‘follow’ button. Very classy.”

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A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)

The We Will Rock You star, 75, compared the negative comments to those the late frontman Freddie Mercury received in the early days of joining Queen.

Responding to the hate, he wrote: "Well, this has been an eye-opener for me. I’m smiling quietly at all the ‘no’ comments. I remember so clearly the same kind of derision being poured on Freddie when we started out as Queen.

"As soon as I see someone who can inspire such strong reactions, positive and negative, I’m sure this person is a star performer.”

He added: “But just carry on kicking if you need to; perhaps it will make you feel better! I think the rest of us will keep an open mind.”

Brian May's praise comes after the iconic Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, honoured Yungblud for carrying the torch for rock 'n' roll by presenting him with a guitar inspired by the late Buddy Holly's Gibson J-45.

Reacting to the honour, he said: “He’s a real hero of mine. We talked about music, the state of rock ’n’ roll, the energy within it and the diversity in rock music right now.

“Thank f*** people are getting p***** off again. “People need to be p***** off.

“That’s what rock ’n’ roll is founded on – energy and love.”

Asked if a Stones collaboration is on the cards, he replied: "I’d love that. We’re in contact, we’ve met and if the opportunity arises, absolutely.”