Marc Martel

Marc Martel
Marc Martel performing in the Queen Extravaganza Tour at the O2 Academy Oxford in 2013
Background information
Born (1976-11-16) November 16, 1976
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres Rock, Christian rock
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 1999–present
Associated acts Downhere, Queen
Website marcmartelmusic.com

Marc Martel (born November 16, 1976) is a Canadian Christian rock musician.

Martel was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents instilled a love for music in him that followed him throughout his childhood and to Briercrest College and Seminary in Saskatchewan, where he formed the band Downhere with his roommate Jason Germain and a few close friends in 1999. Martel is known for having a striking resemblance and a voice which is similar to the late Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury.

Downhere (1999–2012)

Downhere developed their sound while touring on behalf of Briercrest College. After four years of college, the band relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where they signed with Word Records. Downhere went on to win multiple Juno Awards, Covenant Awards and a Dove Award. They released 10 albums, including On the Altar of Love, before going on hiatus effective January 1, 2013.[1]

Solo career (2013–present)

In September 2011, Martel entered a competition to join Roger Taylor's (original drummer for the rock band Queen) official Queen tribute project The Queen Extravaganza with a video of Martel singing along with the Queen classic "Somebody to Love". It generated more than one million views on YouTube after being up for only a few days[2][3] and as of November 2017 is at more than 14,000,000 views.[4] This led to an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show a week following the release of the video. Martel went on to be one of the winners of the competition[5][6][7] which led to a six-week tour with The Queen Extravaganza in 2012.[8] The Queen Extravaganza had continued to tour with Martel as of November 2015.[9]

Martel released an EP, Prelude, on February 1, 2013[10] The EP was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles with producer John Fields. His full-length debut, Impersonator, released on September 30, 2014.[11]

In September 2016, he collaborated on "Last Christmas", featured in the video game, Just Dance 2017. On November 18, 2016 The Silent Night EP, a collection of Christmas songs, was released.

In June 2018 it was confirmed that Martel contributed vocal recordings for the Queen biographical film, Bohemian Rhapsody.[12]

Martel currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Crystal.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "A Letter From Us To You".
  2. ↑ "Canadian singer Marc Martel goes viral with Freddie Mercury imitation | National Post". Arts.nationalpost.com. September 26, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Marc Martel: Freddie Mercury Impression Makes For A Very Viral Video". Huffingtonpost.ca. September 23, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ My "Somebody To Love" audition. YouTube. September 20, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Band". Queen Extravaganza. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Marc Martel a Winner of The Queen Extravaganza Contest (VIDEO)". Christianpost.com. December 9, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  7. ↑ Mark Moring (December 8, 2011). "Christianity Today Entertainment Blog: Downhere's Marc Martel wins Queen Contest". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Media". Queen Extravaganza. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ Queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "Press Release: Queen Extravaganza - Roger Taylor Announces A Night At The Opera 40th Anniversary Tour". queenonline.com. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ "iTunes - Music - The Prelude EP by Marc Martel". Itunes.apple.com. February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Hear It First! Queen Extravaganza Frontman Marc Martel Marches to His Own Drum on 'Ringo Starr'".
  12. ↑ "Bryan Singer Will Be the Credited Director on 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". collider.com. June 12, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Marc Martel Artist Profile | Biography And Discography". NewReleaseTuesday.com. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
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