When Mickey Callisto hit the stage for his 2025 Britain’s Got Talent audition on Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever,” his soaring and dramatic vocals had the judges comparing him to the band’s late great frontman Freddie Mercury. The 28-year-old from Sunderland charmed the room first up with his warm personality, and when he began to sing, the judges were instantly hooked. Callisto has a lithe tenor that’s just perfect for channeling Mercury’s vocal lines, and is a real natural with his confident stage presence.
Callisto took inspiration from the ambient opening of the Queen arrangement and sang over a string section that perfectly accentuated his vocals. He has quite a distinct voice, as it’s both powerful and smooth where it needs to be, making a Queen anthem the perfect choice for his audition. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that the judges gave Callisto four yeses, with both Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli comparing his style to Mercury.
Tonioli, who had worked with Mercury in the past, told Callisto that he had “all the mannerisms down to a tee.” Britain’s Got Talent uploaded Callisto’s audition on March 23, 2025, and it has since gained 1.2 million views. Fans added admiring comments such as “As a huge Queen fan, I am covered in goosebumps. Oh my gosh. He channeled Freddie 100%” and “This was not a typical audition. This was the beginning of a solid future for this young man. His power, delivery, technique, and showmanship are obvious!”
We has to say that Callisto certainly showed good taste with his decision to audition on “Who Wants to Live Forever.” Queen gave a poignant performance on the power ballad in Budapest in 1986, which was the year of its release. Mercury’s live vocals are perfection, and wow, the whole band just delivers everything you could ask for in a rock ‘n’ roll show.
Queen released “Who Wants to Live Forever” on September 15, 1986, as the sixth single from their 12th studio album A Kind of Magic. Queen guitarist Brian May wrote the song, and it was produced by the band and David Richards. May penned “Who Wants to Live Forever” for the soundtrack of the film Highlander. Queen’s performances were complemented by an orchestra for the recording, with film composer Michael Kamen providing the orchestral arrangement. The song has been featured on several lists of the best Queen songs, most notably placing fifth on Rolling Stone’s 2014 reader poll on the greatest Queen songs.