Queen to release new album with possible Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson duet

Brian May has confirmed that a record with unheard songs is on its way

John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen created the UK's bestselling album of all-time, Greatest Hits (Getty Images)

Queen are set to release a new album including unheard tracks sung by late frontman Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May has confirmed.

The record, working title Queen Forever, is due to hit stores at the end of the year and will feature songs from the 1980s. Mercury’s identifiable vocals will be merged with recently recorded instrumental tracks.

“It is quite emotional, it is the big, big ballads and the big, big epic sound,” May told BBC Radio Wales. “We had to start from scratch because we only had scraps, but knowing how it would have happened if we had finished it, I can sit there and make it happen with modern technology.

Drummer Roger Taylor will be helping May restore the songs, one of which could be a 1983 collaboration with Michael Jackson.

"Brian has been active working on old tracks, a couple of tracks that Freddie did with Michael Jackson," Taylor told Classic Rock Magazine. "They've been hanging around for years and Michael's estate haven't really been able to make their mind up about what to do with them.

"So we suggested we finish them and see. They're pretty good - one of them is great.

The duet failed to make the listing for the King of Pop’s posthumous album Xscape and it remains unclear whether fans will hear it on the new Queen release.

The legendary rock band will be touring North America for the first time in almost a decade in June, with Adam Lambert standing in for Mercury.

Elsewhere, a planned Freddie Mercury biopic is still in the pipeline despite Sacha Baron Cohen departing from the lead.

“We’re in a very good place with the movie and we remain friends with Sacha and hopefully there will be another project that we will work on together in the future,” May said last October.

“It’s a shame that there were these sensationalist stories about him walking out, none of that was true.”

Queen are not the only classic outfit to return with ‘new’ music. Led Zeppelin have unearthed “La La” from their vaults after it was recorded during sessions for 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Fans can hear it when the record is re-released in June.