Robbie Williams Finally Fronts Queen
April 9 -- Whether fans wanted it to happen or dreaded the day, it's finally here — Robbie Williams has filled in for late vocalist Freddie Mercury to record with Queen.
For now, the singer's spokesman says the union is a short-term one — Williams and the remaining members of the '70s glam band have recorded a version of the 1977 hit "We Are the Champions" to appear on the soundtrack for A Knight's Tale, a film due next month starring Heath Ledger.
"There are no plans to release it as a single here or in the U.S.," Williams' rep said. "It's for a film, so it will just be part of a soundtrack."
Rumors have circulated for months that the flamboyant singer, formerly a member of British boy band Take That, would join Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon for a new version of Queen. The band sold more than 100 million records in its career, topping U.S. charts with "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1980. Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.
Rather than talking about his plans with Queen, Williams recently spoke to the British press about his struggles with alcohol.
"I've been trying to get sober for the last four years, and I keep falling off and I keep getting back on," Williams told television talk show host Michael Parkinson in an interview broadcast on Saturday.
The 27-year-old singer has won 12 Brit Awards (the British version of the Grammys), which is more than any other performer.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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