Sometimes the strangest footnotes in music history turn out to be the most fascinating. Take, for instance, the peculiar tale of how a llama — yes, an actual llama — managed to derail what could have been one of pop music’s most legendary collaborations.
The year was 1983. Queen had taken a brief hiatus, and Freddie Mercury, ever the musical explorer, found himself drawn to the infectious dance-pop sounds that were dominating the charts. Enter Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop, whose star was reaching astronomical heights with “Thriller.” The stage seemed perfectly set for an epic collaboration.
What happened next reads like something from a fever dream. Mercury and Jackson, mutual admirers of each other’s artistry, holed up in Jackson’s Encino studio to work on three promising tracks: “Victory,” “State of Shock,” and “There Must Be More to Life Than This.” But the studio sessions took an unexpected turn when Jackson decided to bring along an unusual companion — his pet llama.
For Mercury, this proved to be the final straw. As Jo Burt, the bassist on Mercury’s solo album “Mr. Bad Guy,” recently revealed, the presence of the four-legged studio guest pushed Mercury to his limit. In what must have been one of rock history’s more surreal phone calls, Mercury desperately reached out to Queen’s manager: “Miami, dear, can you get me out of here? I’m recording with a llama.”
Fast forward to 2025, and such eccentric approaches to artistry have become almost commonplace. Consider Atlanta’s FearDorian, barely 18, who’s turning heads by fearlessly fusing rage-rap with trap beats and traditional influences. Or take The Paradox — they’ve managed to catch Billie Joe Armstrong’s attention and land a Green Day opening slot before even dropping their first EP.
The landscape of music promotion has evolved in equally unexpected ways. Just look at Plaqueboymax, who’s built his entire musical career through Twitch streaming — a platform that was once purely gaming territory. His “In The Booth” series has redefined how artists connect with fans in the digital age.
Over in Manchester, Westside Cowboy’s recent triumph at Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition 2025 proves that raw talent still cuts through the noise. Their vocalist, Aoife Anson O’Connell, captured the moment perfectly: “We’ve had so many achievements that mean so much to us in such a short space of time but this means the most.”
The contemporary scene keeps throwing up surprises. There’s John Glacier’s genre-defying UK rap, Hana Vu’s bedroom-pop masterpieces, and who could forget Lexa Gates literally locking herself in a box for ten hours to promote her latest album? It’s as if the spirit of those early Mercury-Jackson sessions lives on — minus the llama, thankfully.
As for those unreleased collaborations? They eventually found their way into the world, albeit in different forms. “State of Shock” emerged as a Mick Jagger collaboration on the Jacksons’ “Victory” album, while “There Must Be More to Life Than This” finally saw the light of day on 2014’s “Queen Forever” compilation. Sometimes the most interesting stories in music aren’t about what was released, but rather the strange and wonderful journeys that led there.
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