Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury was best known as the frontman of Queen, where his voice and stage presence helped define the band’s sound. A British singer, songwriter, and musician, he worked across rock, pop, and more theatrical forms of popular music.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Freddie Mercury
Born September 5, 1946
Birthplace Zanzibar City, Mjini Magharibi Region, Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania
Country United Kingdom
Occupations singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, composer, record producer, singer, manufacturer, painter, poet, graphic designer, rock musician
Instruments guitar, piano, Hammond organ, keyboard instrument, voice
Gender male
Genres hard rock, glam rock, rock and roll, pop rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, disco, classical crossover, neoclassicism, classic rock, dance-pop, pop, rock
Associated Acts Queen
Active Years Active since 1969
Website www.freddiemercury.com

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Freddie Mercury Canonical Name System
Farrokh Bulsara Alias Wikidata
Freddy Mercury Alias Wikidata
Larry Lurex Alias Wikidata
Freddy Mercury Alias MusicBrainz
Frederick Mercury Legal name MusicBrainz

Biography

Freddie Mercury was a British singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his work with Queen. Born in Zanzibar City, he became one of the most recognizable voices in rock through his role with the band from 1969 until 1991.

Mercury’s musical range stretched well beyond hard rock. His credits and associated work connect him with glam rock, rock and roll, pop rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, disco, classical crossover, neoclassicism, and classic rock, reflecting a career that moved fluidly between styles.

As a performer, Freddie Mercury was associated with voice, guitar, piano, Hammond organ, and keyboard instruments. His broader work also extended into songwriting, composing, and record production, giving him a wide creative footprint within Queen and beyond.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1946 Born Zanzibar City, Mjini Magharibi Region, Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania Wikidata
1969 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
1970–1991 Member of Queen Wikidata
Date not specified Member of Sour Milk Sea MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Wreckage MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Ibex MusicBrainz

Musical Roles

Singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, guitarist, and vocalist associated with Queen.

Role Source
singer-songwriter Wikidata
guitarist Wikidata
pianist Wikidata
composer Wikidata
record producer Wikidata
singer Wikidata
manufacturer Wikidata
painter Wikidata
poet Wikidata
graphic designer Wikidata
rock musician Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
Queen Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

MusicBrainz lists several release entries connected to Freddie Mercury. These entries may include solo releases, guest appearances, live recordings, and catalogued metadata records.

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
Never Boring 2019 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Messenger of the Gods: The Singles 2016 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Lover of Life, Singer of Songs: The Very Best of Freddie Mercury Solo 2006 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Solo Collection 2000 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Video Collection 2000 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Guide Me Home 2000 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Man from Manhattan 1994 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Remixes 1993 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Freddie Mercury Album 1992 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Great Pretender 1992 EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
In My Defence 1992 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
How Can I Go On 1989 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Barcelona 1988 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Golden Boy 1988 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Zabou 1987 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Freddie Mercury include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
[credits] Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
[introduction] Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1979, London: The Crazy Tour Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1984, Munich: The Works Tour Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1984, Munich: The Works Tour, Part 2: Going Solo Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1985, Wembley, London: Week of Live Aid Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1986, London: Tha Magic Tour Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1987, Ibiza: 41st Birthday, Part 2: Montserrat Caballé Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1987, Ibiza: 41st Birthday, Part 3: The Great Pretender Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz
1987, Ibiza: Freddie’s 41st Birthday Freddie Mercury Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

Freddie Mercury is associated with hard rock, glam rock, rock and roll, pop rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, disco, classical crossover, neoclassicism, and classic rock. His work also touches on operatic pop and opera-adjacent musical ideas.

Genres

hard rock glam rock rock and roll pop rock traditional heavy metal progressive rock disco classical crossover neoclassicism classic rock dance-pop pop rock

Instruments

guitar piano Hammond organ keyboard instrument voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
Farrokh Bulsara Is person MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

Freddie Mercury has official and archival profiles across major music and authority platforms, including his official website, MusicBrainz, Discogs, Spotify, IMDb, VIAF, ISNI, GND, and Library of Congress identifiers.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
Official Website http://www.freddiemercury.com Official website Wikidata High View Profile
MusicBrainz 022589ac-7177-460d-a178-9976cf70e29f Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 79949 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
Spotify 4M1FpEWs2PeYfJe7xxJfhH Streaming profile Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm0006198 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 71578767 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000109859100 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 11907575X Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress n92107142 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Freddie Mercury citizenship United Kingdom Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury date_of_birth September 5, 1946 Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury family_name Q37430993 Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury gender male Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury given_name Farrokh Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury place_of_birth Zanzibar City, Mjini Magharibi Region, Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury member_of Queen Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury instrument guitar Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury instrument piano Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury instrument Hammond organ Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury instrument keyboard instrument Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury instrument voice Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation singer-songwriter Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation guitarist Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation pianist Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation composer Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation record producer Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation singer Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation manufacturer Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation painter Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation poet Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation graphic designer Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury occupation rock musician Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre hard rock Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre glam rock Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre rock and roll Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre pop rock Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre traditional heavy metal Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre progressive rock Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre disco Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre classical crossover Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre neoclassicism Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre classic rock Wikidata high
Freddie Mercury genre classic rock MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre classical crossover MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre dance-pop MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre hard rock MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre pop MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre pop rock MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury genre rock MusicBrainz medium
Freddie Mercury member of band Queen MusicBrainz high
Freddie Mercury member of band Ibex MusicBrainz high
Freddie Mercury member of band Wreckage MusicBrainz high
Freddie Mercury member of band Sour Milk Sea MusicBrainz high
Freddie Mercury sameAs Official Website Artist ID: http://www.freddiemercury.com Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: 022589ac-7177-460d-a178-9976cf70e29f Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 79949 Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs Spotify Artist ID: 4M1FpEWs2PeYfJe7xxJfhH Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm0006198 Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 71578767 Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000109859100 Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs GND Artist ID: 11907575X Wikidata High
Freddie Mercury sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: n92107142 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who was Freddie Mercury best known for being associated with?

A: Freddie Mercury was best known for his work with Queen. He is identified as the band’s frontman.

Q: What kind of musician was Freddie Mercury?

A: He was a British singer, songwriter, and musician. His work also includes composing and record production.

Q: Where was Freddie Mercury born?

A: He was born in Zanzibar City, in the Mjini Magharibi Region of the Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania.

Q: When was Freddie Mercury born?

A: Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946.

Q: When did Freddie Mercury die?

A: He died on November 24, 1991.

Q: What instruments was Freddie Mercury associated with?

A: He was associated with voice, guitar, piano, Hammond organ, and keyboard instruments.

Q: What styles of music is Freddie Mercury associated with?

A: His work is associated with hard rock, glam rock, rock and roll, pop rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, disco, classical crossover, neoclassicism, and classic rock.

Q: What was Freddie Mercury’s citizenship?

A: Freddie Mercury held United Kingdom citizenship.

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
96/100
Last Updated
May 11, 2026
Entity Stats
68 Facts
9 Identifiers
49 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial