It turns out that Freddie's voice didn't arise from extra teeth or a big mouth, but from his use of a body part that's usually not accessed – the so-called “false” vocal cords.
While he credited the extra teeth for changing the shape of his mouth and allowing for better vocals, some very interesting research out of the UK suggests otherwise. Turns out his gifted vocal range was likely due to his uncanny ability to use a larger part of his vocal cords than most of us do.
His ability to blend highs, lows and mid range notes cohesively and with immense precision. This skill was due to the fact that Freddie was able to create faster vibrato and harmonics than any other singer at the time. Not only this, he was able to shift through registers effortlessly.
Freddie Mercury believed his extra teeth and overbite were the secret to his talent. His four-octave range that can alternate between a growl to an operatic melody was a blue diamond. Not many singers have these vocal capacities and Freddie Mercury attributed the success of his musical career to his teeth.
Freddie's distinctive grin was the result of having four extra teeth in the back of his mouth which pushed those at the front forward. He always refused to have his teeth fixed (see fifth entry below), fearing it would affect his vocal ability.
To prepare for the role, Malek was fitted with prosthetic teeth a whole year before filming Bohemian Rhapsody so that he could get used to speaking and singing with them.
Freddie Mercury had four extra teeth, also called mesiodens or supernumerary teeth, in his upper jaw. These additional incisors caused overcrowding that pushed forward his front teeth, leading to an overjet.
It turns out that Freddie's voice didn't arise from extra teeth or a big mouth, but from his use of a body part that's usually not accessed – the so-called “false” vocal cords.
The seventh octave is the range of notes between C7 and C8. It is easier for very high coloratura sopranos to sing in this octave, but some people who are capable of singing in the bass range (like singers Adam Lopez, Virgo Degan, Nicola Sedda or Dimash Kudaibergen) can do it.
While David Bowie and Freddie Mercury both had ranges spanning four octaves, Prince could hit a gobsmacking B6.
There is no doubt that Freddie Mercury was a genius: it's clear in his music, his theatrical performances, and his eccentrically stylised persona. These different art forms constructed a full creative package and made Mercury an icon.
But let's face it, Bohemian Rhapsody is just impossible to sing by yourself because of those multiple voices that are essential to the song. So, we recommend you take some friends with you, grab the mic, and just bring it on.
In answer to Olly's question regarding Freddie writing his music, Freddie could read music, as he shad piano lessons when he was young, but generally when he was composing his songs he created the music around chord progressions, and as everything he played was recorded, he had no need to write the notes down.
Elvis Presley was a baritone whose voice had an extraordinary compass — the so-called register — and a very wide range of vocal colour. It covered two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat.
Rami himself has revealed that he is lip-syncing, but it's not just Freddie's voice that we hear. "It is an amalgamation of a few voices," he told the Metro US. "But predominantly it is my hope and the hope of everyone that we will hear as much Freddie as possible. I think that is the goal for all of us."
An orthodontist may suggest work to reduce your overbite. However, as it affects the cavity space in your mouth, it is all part of the way your vocal physiology is made up, to create your unique sound. Your mouth size and shape definitely affects your singing, most significantly in terms of vocal range.
Tim Storms boasts a vocal range of 10 octaves and his lowest note is so deep it can only be heard by elephants.
A countertenor is a male singer who can sing as high as a soprano or mezzo-soprano. The countertenor is the rarest of all voice types.
Your mouth size definitely affects your singing, most significantly in terms of vocal range. The general rule is that those with smaller mouths have smaller vocal cords, resulting in a higher voice.
While Freddie's speaking voice fell in the baritone range, he delivered most songs in the tenor range. His known vocal range extended from bass low F (F2) to soprano high F (F6). He could also get up to tenor high F (F5).
Queen's extravagant frontman was sent to a boarding school in Mumbai, India aged nine, where he received formal piano training. But it is always said that Mercury had no real vocal training.
As somewhat of a method actor, Rami Malek knew the teeth would play a major role in nailing Mercury's manner of speaking, covering his lips and smiling frequently during interviews, so even before officially agreeing to the role, Malek asked for a pair of prosthetics a year prior to filming.
After being diagnosed with Aids, Freddie continued to record with Queen, and after his death in 1991, a tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium. His life and career with Queen was dramatised in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek.
While most of us know Freddie Mercury as the iconic front-man of Queen who had an incredible voice, you may not he struggled with misaligned teeth. Mercury had a famously unusual overbite and distinct front teeth as a result of a malocclusion, or a bite alignment issue.