“I think it could happen… I could have the beginnings of a Queen song right there in front of me now”: Brian May speaks about the possibility of new Queen music

Queen guitarist Brian May has reiterated that new music from the band isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

“I think it could happen,” he tells Mojo magazine. “Both Roger [Taylor] and I are constantly writing and coming up with ideas and doing things in our studios.

“I could have the beginnings of a Queen song right there in front of me now. It’s just whether the idea reaches maturity or not. It’s whether that seed can grow.”

This isn’t the first time the band – who haven’t released a new album since 1995’s final collection with Freddie Mercury, Made In Heaven – have spoken about the possibility of new music. But despite working with two singers in the years since Mercury’s death – Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert – only live albums have resulted.

In 2023, while speaking on US Radio, May revealed that Queen had “dabbled a little” in making new music with Lambert, who became the band’s new frontman in 2011.

And last year, During an interview with Uncut, drummer Taylor was asked Queen if planned to release any new, original material in the future.

“I think we might”, he responded. “Brian [May] and myself were talking the other day, and we both said that if we feel we have some good material, why not? We can still play. We can still sing. So I don’t see why not.”

Last month, May launched a new Gibson SJ-200 12-string acoustic guitar with a performance and interview at the Gibson Garage in London.

“It’s a dream come true, as soon as I held the guitar I thought ‘this is what I need’,” said May. “It has such presence and such a beautiful breadth of sound. Gibson has done the most beautiful job, it has the lovely solar system on it, including Mercury, but the most important thing is it sounds massive.

“It’s very traditional old school technology, not made with AI or mechanised in any way. I take fantastic pride in it and I’m very honoured to have worked with Gibson. From the days when I used to gaze enviously at the guitar catalogues, sitting there with my dad, I wish he was here to see this amazing fusion of the collaboration we’ve made.”