Queen drummer Roger Taylor to release new album, criticizes populists

Queen drummer Roger Taylor is set to release his seventh solo album, "Violence Insane in a Beautiful World," his first since 2021's "Outsider." The album's title reflects Taylor's concerns about the state of the world, touching on widespread violence, environmental damage, and societal divisions.

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We live in a beautiful world, so let's not destroy it. There is so much madness around us now. Violence in the world seems to be everywhere. It's terrifying. We see senseless violence everywhere. On top of that, we are destroying the planet – plastic in the oceans, terrible wars, and hatred from religious divides.

Taylor describes the album's central theme as a plea to protect the beauty of the world amidst current global madness. He emphasizes the importance of kindness, which he feels is often forgotten. Despite the somber themes, the album carries an optimistic undertone, celebrating the world's beauty and the significance of compassion.

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Our world is beautiful, and kindness is extremely important, though I feel we too often forget it. That is the main guiding thought of this album.

"Violence Insane in a Beautiful World" features Taylor performing nearly all instruments and vocals, with the exception of a cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." He collaborated with his touring band and, notably, the Ndlovu Youth Choir from South Africa on three tracks. Taylor expressed his admiration for the choir's unique sound and their ability to transform the songs.

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I was delighted when I discovered this extraordinary South African choir singing in Zulu. They are truly wonderful. They recorded an amazing version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and I was very impressed. So we had the idea to invite them to participate in a few songs. The result exceeded my expectations – their voices completely transformed these songs, giving them a completely new dimension. I am delighted with what they brought to this album.

The album's artwork, featuring a distant view of Earth, coincidentally aligns with images captured by the Artemis II mission during its lunar orbit, a connection Taylor found serendipitous. He explained that the cover visually represents the album's main track, "A Beautiful World."

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The cover essentially tells the story of the album's main track 'A Beautiful World.' It's an old idea, but the song was written from the perspective of an alien traveling.