Adam Lambert is honoured to be in Queen alongside its original rockers Roger Taylor and Brian May but wishes Freddie Mercury had lived to see their "pop-culture moment".
The former American Idol contestant started touring with Queen in 2012 and although Lambert insists he loves the gig, he wishes Mercury was here to be with his bandmates.
"I didn't know him, but Brian and Roger say there are definite similarities," he said in an interview with SiriusXM's Volume. "The thing that I've heard from them over and over again that makes me really happy is they say, 'We think you actually would get a kick out of each other. Freddie probably would have bantered well with you. You probably would have enjoyed each other's company'."
"And hearing that, that means a lot, and that's really important...," he added. "I just wish I'd known him. I wish he were alive so I didn't even have the gig. He was amazing. But I'm thrilled to take the gig and I'm thrilled to be in this incredible, honorable thing that I get to do. It's great."
And Lambert is glad he is able to bring Queen to a younger audience.
"I keep hearing from so many people, who are maybe slightly older than me - original Queen fans - that come up to me, especially dads: 'Oh, man, my teenage son loves Queen now'," he said. "And it's because of the movie (Bohemian Rhapsody). So I think that's amazing. And I'm proud of the band and so happy for them that this has sparked this new pop-culture moment for them. They deserve it. These songs are timeless, and they are fantastic."
