Brian May and Kerry Ellis launch Panic Attack 2021 video

Kerry Ellis and Brian May — (Image credit: Duck Productions)

Queen guitarist Brian May and singer Kerry Ellis have released a video for Panic Attack 2021, a re-worked version of It's Gonna Be All Right - The Panic Attack Song from the duo's 2017 album Golden Days.

"At the close of 2020 there was a feeling that perhaps saying goodbye to that year would bring relief from the pandemic and a new era of hope would now begin," says May. "Sadly, following a very muted and restricted celebration of Christmas, the New Year dawned with the realisation that the mankind’s struggle was probably going to get worse before it got better.

"Kerry and I realised that The Panic Attack Song now potentially had a whole new meaning to literally millions of people around the world who felt a growing sense of panic. In the UK, there was definitely a feeling that we had all been cheated of our Happy New Year. So we wanted to mark the occasion in a completely real and transparent way."

Ellis, who played Meat in the original London production of Queen's We Will Rock You musical, adds, "I am beyond excited to kick off this year with a song full of hope. Putting Panic Attack 2021 together during a lockdown has had its challenges, but that has also been the beauty of it.

"Music is so powerful and it’s amazing what you can still create with so many restrictions. I hope this song and video gives people as much hope and joy as it did for me and Brian making it. We have all had quite a tough year but remember: ‘it’s gonna be all right!’”

Ellis's new vocal for Panic Attack 2021 was recorded on a laptop in her kitchen, while the performances were captured on smartphone before being handed over to video producer Simon Lupton, who's currently working on Queen's The Greatest YouTube series.

"Brian and Kerry’s self-filmed videos were amazing, and the perfect material for this video,” says Lupton, “but ultimately it's the brilliance of their respective performances that shine through and make this so compelling to watch."

"We’ve all come through some dark times," says May. “Now we want to give hope for brighter days to come."

Thanks, Brian!

Ellis also performed with May with on last year's charity single by Woman, I’m A Woman.

Artists

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.