QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor have confirmed to Spotify's "Rock This With Allison Hagendorf" that they tried to record a new song with singer Adam Lambert but they ultimately decided against releasing it. "Yeah, we did have a little playaround," Brian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We didn't actually finish anything to our satisfaction. It has to be perfect, it has to be great when we come out with something… But, yeah, it could happen."
Added Roger: "I'd like it to happen, but as Brian said, it's gotta be really great. It can't be ordinary, and I think we'd all feel very disappointed if it came out and everybody went, 'Hmmm…' It's gotta be good."
May and Taylor went on to praise the current QUEEN singer and former "American Idol" runner-up, with Roger saying: "Adam is an exceptional talent, and I just can't speak highly enough of him. His voice is second to none. He's been nothing but a pleasure since we've been working together, which is why we continue to do so."
Added Brian: "I call him the G.F.G — the gift from God — 'cause we weren't looking for that. And somehow he was there. And, of course, he doesn't imitate [late QUEEN singer] Freddie [Mercury] in any shape or form, but he's able to rise to the challenge of interpreting every one of those songs and making them something special, even in the light of history. He has big shoes to fill. And he's a phenomenon. There's no doubt. Nobody else could have stepped into that place. We love Adam, and hopefully we'll be back out there with him next May and June."
The recording sessions for aforementioned "abandoned" track reportedly took place in Nashville during a QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT U.S. tour.
Lambert, May and Taylor first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed a number of tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.
In May 2019, Lambert said that he wasn't convinced it was the right move for him to record new music with QUEEN. Speaking to Hunger, he said: "People always ask if we want to record together, and I'm not sure it makes total sense, because it wouldn't really be QUEEN, because, to me, QUEEN is Freddie. My favorite thing is collaborating and putting these concerts together and creating on stage — it's super fulfilling and exciting. To present these ideas to these two gentlemen — especially when they like the idea."
Lambert previously downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."
In 2004, QUEEN recruited BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers, with whom they completed two world tours and released an album, "The Cosmos Rocks", in 2008. They amicably parted ways a year later when Rodgers returned to BAD COMPANY. Since 2011, QUEEN has been fronted by Lambert.
