Robbie Williams says he was asked to join Queen, and refused
Queen have had some 'interesting' collaborations over the years: that 'We Will Rock You' version with 5ive, performing with Jessie J at the Olympics, and the song Brian May did with Dappy from N-Dubz.
They worked with Robbie Williams once back in the day too, and as a popstar known for his stage presence and huge personality, he seems like a good fit for the band.
Turns out they actually wanted him to join them.
"They asked me to do it," he told SiriusXM Volume (via Planet Rock). "Even though I'm very confident here on the microphone, I have suffered from very low self-esteem.
Related: Robbie Williams and Ayda Field announced the birth of their fourth child
"And I just thought I'd save them the audacity of me even trying to step on a stage and be in the same echelon as Freddie Mercury. Because he, to me, is angelic. He's godlike. It was just too scary.
"I was doing stadiums myself at the time. I didn't want to have to split (the money) three ways, but that's another story."
The iconic rock band have been performing with American Idol's Adam Lambert, known for his incredible range and theatricality, for the last few years, and Robbie is very glad Lambert took the job.
"Adam Lambert – if he wasn't such a lovely person, which he is – I would just be terrified of him because of his pure talent. His voice is absolutely incredible.
"And he's an incredible performer, and a lovely person to boot. I'm really pleased when I meet people that I'm just over-awed by their talent – he gives me a talent hard-on – and they're nice."
Related: Robbie Williams and Ayda Field hit out at "two-faced" X Factor judge Louis Walsh
Speaking about the time he worked with Queen, for the movie A Knight's Tale, no less, he said: "It was amazing that I'm in the recording booth with Roger (Taylor) and Brian (May) and the band and we re-recorded 'We Are The Champions'.
"I got to do the backing vocals with them, and how intricate they were... those backing vocals and how many parts it took to get that sound, and to be in the room with real history – proper history – just felt absolutely incredible."
Queen + Adam Lambert are heading out on tour this year. Get tickets here.
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