Music Tuesday: Taylor Swift, Queen and more

It’s been a big week for music at YouTube. Last week Taylor Swift joined us for a Q&A, answering questions from fans around the world and proving that under that bubbly exterior is a serious artist with some seriously interesting things to say. (And yes, she does admit that she’s written songs on paper towels.) This week, youtube.com/music pays tribute to one of rock’s great bands, and introduces some new talent.

Queen - Live At Wembley Stadium
Forty years on, Queen remains an indelible part of popular music. Is there anyone who hasn’t gone hoarse screaming “We Are The Champions” at least once in their lives, or stomped along to “We Will Rock You” at a sporting event? The band even inspired Stefani Germanotta’s stage name.

In honor of Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday this week, the band is sharing the concert film Queen - Live At Wembley Stadium in its entirety on Queen’s official channel for 48 hours. Widely considered one of the great concert films of all time, Wembley Stadium captures the band at the height of their powers, even though their greatest albums were arguably behind them. Mercury’s charisma is stunning: when he leads the stadium in an a cappella sing-along, you can only marvel at hearing tens of thousands of people willingly following his lead.



As an added bonus, a gaggle of celebrity musicians (including Katy Perry) recorded tributes to Freddie Mercury for his birthday -- and you can watch them all.

Jonti “Firework Spraying Moon”
Jonti exists in some alternative reality where the Beach Boys and Free Design share space with Madlib -- and we like the result. This Australian/South African transplant recently signed to Stones Throw Records, and his first album is slated to drop in October. You can get an early taste of his sound with his first video, which is as gleefully glitchy as his music.



Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Queen - Under Pressure.”