Kiwi songbird Annie Crummer is set to become a millionaire rock Queen.
Crummer, who topped the New Zealand charts in the 80s and 90s with hits like For Today and See What Love Can Do, has recorded a single with the two surviving members of supergroup Queen. The west Auckland singer and songwriter was flown to London by Brian May and Roger Taylor to provide the vocals for a remake of the classic Another One Bites the Dust.
The original - sung by flamboyant former frontman Freddie Mercury - was Queen's biggest-ever selling single. "Annie is one hell of a singer! A voice in a million," May told his friends after the session, at their studios in an historic 400-year-old mill.
He and Taylor were so impressed with Crummer's voice, they decided to release the single worldwide. They signed over a percentage of the royalties to Crummer - a move which could make her millions since Queen still has a global following 16 years after Mercury's death from Aids. Crummer came to May and Taylor's attention for her stunning performance as Killer Queen in Australian and Japanese stage productions of We Will Rock You.
The rock theatre features 24 of the band's greatest hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, Another One Bites The Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. It was created by May and Taylor in collaboration with top British entertainer Ben Elton in 2002, and has been seen by six million worldwide. Crummer recorded the remake with Mercury's voice playing through her earphones.
It was sent to radio bosses in New Zealand last week and put on the playlist within an hour. We Will Rock You is a futuristic adventure in a time when live music is banned on earth but the kids are in rebellion, fighting against the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation which controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesised pop. "She's an absolute bitch and everyone knows how nice I am!
" she joked last week. We Will Rock You is due to start production in New Zealand in October. May and Taylor are tipped to fly here to check out Crummer's performances.
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