A fan page on Instagram dedicated to the legendary frontman of Queen, Freddie Mercury shared a new post to unveil the unknown story about Freddie’s favorite singer with whom he even collaborated.

Freddie Mercury changed the rock world with his four-octave range vocals and his flamboyant style on the stage, and the fact that he still has a great fan base should not come as a surprise. He is one of the most famous and successful rockstars of all time and his fans have made it their mission to continue his legacy.

Aside from his rockstar persona, Freddie is known for his crazy lifestyle but also his kindness, thoughtfulness, and humbleness towards his family, friends, and fans. Such a remarkable artist is still appreciated even though approximately thirty years have passed since we lost him.

One of the most popular fan pages dedicated to Freddie recently revealed the story of how Freddie met his favorite singer and how he convinced her to collaborate with him. Freddie Mercury met the world-famous Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé in early 1987. He was her fan since the first time he saw her perform in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the London Royal Opera House in 1983.

Freddie struggled a lot to arrange this interview and for months he asked Caballé’s representatives to contact him so that he can meet and perform with his favorite singer. The iconic duo’s meeting led to the creation of a strong friendship and business partnership.

Freddie’s ‘Exercises in Free Love‘ became his way in and the iconic duo would soon record Barcelona, a collaborative album created by Montserrat Caballé and Freddie Mercury. One of the album’s songs, ‘Barcelona’ would also play after Freddie passed away, in the 1992 Olympics opening ceremony.

While Montserrat Caballé enjoyed Freddie’s humbleness and said that he is nothing like the man we see on the stage, Freddie jokingly boasted that he got Caballé into rock music and even made her a rocker. The fan page loved the relationship between the iconic duo and found it vital to share their story with their followers.

This is the fan page wrote in the caption of the video:

“Freddie and Montsy during ‘Barcelona’ music video in 1987.

Without warning, he sat down at the piano at the former Hotel Ritz in Barcelona and began to improvise ‘Exercises in Free Love,’ singing in falsetto what would be her part if she accepted. It was the beginning of 1987 and the first time Queen frontman Freddie Mercury met Spanish soprano, Montserrat Caballé. This meeting would lead to a legendary musical partnership that would bring the best of the classical and contemporary music world together in the iconic anthem Barcelona, written ahead of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Mercury had been a huge admirer of Caballé since he saw her perform in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the London Royal Opera House in 1983. In public, Mercury would state that his favorite singer was ‘Montsy,’ a special way he had of pronouncing Caballé’s first name. The Queen vocalist sent endless messages to the opera star via her representatives, asking if they could meet and perform together. The song ‘Exercises in Free Love’ was his way in.”

Here’s how the recording of the song went:

“That day in London they worked until 6 am to record the demo of Barcelona. Needless to say, both the mayor and the International Olympic Committee were stunned by the result. But the miracle of the musical powerhouse was less technical than emotional.

Mercury would say later that although they were worried about whether their different voices and registers ‘would go together,’ it was not at all difficult because of, as she put it, the ‘feeling that emerged.’ Caballé, a strong-willed but very human woman, was fascinated by Mercury’s ‘simple character,’ ‘nothing at all like what you see when he’s on the stage singing with Queen.’

A recording of Barcelona was played at the start of the international broadcast of the Olympic opening ceremony, pushing it to second place on the UK charts in 1992. The unlikely but powerful chemistry between Mercury and Montsy (‘thanks to me she has become a rocker,’ the Queen star joked), left a musical masterpiece that will outlive them both.

I love this duo so much, their friendship is adorable and the admiration they both had for each other… I will forever love them both.
Info by: elpaís.”

You can check out the photo posted by Freddie’s fan page below.