“Queen” singer Shawn Mendes is honoring Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, just in time for the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody biopic with his very own rendition of “Under Pressure.”
Universal Music is releasing three Queen covers from various artists in support of the film and The Mercury Phoenix Trust. The first came Friday from the 20-year-old post-teen dream in the form of a take on “Under Pressure,” produced by and featuring the vocals of Teddy Geiger.
Net profits from this more intimate rendition, with Mendes strumming on his guitar, will go to support the MPT, which Queen’s Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Jim Beach (the band’s manager) set up in honor of Mercury, who died of HIV/AIDS-related complications in 1991. The organization supports more than 1,000 projects in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The other covers — which will also support the MPT — haven’t been announced yet, but we know they’ll come from the Universal Music stable.
“I am so honored to be able to support the amazing legacy of Freddie and Queen by doing a cover of one of my favorite songs, ‘Under Pressure,’” Mendes said in a statement. “It was so exciting to me to be able to do this with my close collaborator and one of my best friends, Teddy Geiger, for a cause that is very close to our hearts.”
“Shawn is a hugely talented artist and he and Teddy have given us a stunning version of this Queen and David Bowie classic. All of us at The Mercury Phoenix Trust are eternally grateful to Shawn and UMG for helping us in this way in the ongoing fight to conquer the global AIDS epidemic,” Beach said.
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