Marc Martel

Long before his YouTube videos went viral, an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and performing with the surviving members of Queen on “American Idol,” Marc Martel spent 13 years recording and touring with Canadian rockers Downhere. Soon after, Martel received an email from an industry pal with a link to a contest spearheaded by the members of Queen. At first, he almost passed on the opportunity, but he casually cut a version of “Somebody To Love” in 2011, and now 30 million cumulative YouTube and Facebook views later, Martel was declared the victor. Legendary Queen drummer Roger Taylor remarked to the Daily Record: “That voice. You listen, close your eyes and you think it’s Freddie. It’s really uncanny.” For the last 6 years and 160+ shows Marc has fronted Queen’s official tribute show, The Queen Extravaganza. Fast forward to 2017, and Martel has forged for himself a unique and diverse career. He started his own Queen tribute show called The Ultimate Queen Celebration, which tours all over the world. But Marc does not only lend his voice to rock and roll crowds, now symphony halls as he fronts Symphonic Queen with the Philharmonic Orchestra of México (OFUNAM) in Mexico City. Even with the overwhelming demand behind Martel’s Queen-themed projects, he’s cultivated an increasingly visible solo career defined by a relentless creativity and unpredictably to simultaneously craft his own identity while flawlessly stepping into the shoes of others.