This weekend I went to the movies after a long time to watch the movie of the year “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It’s a true story based on one of my favorite all-time bands and musical legends “QUEEN”.

One of their greatest concerts ever was their performance during the Live Aid concert, a charity event to raise money for Africa and had 100,000 live viewers and 1.5 billion worldwide, that solidified the band and lead singer Freddie Mercury as bonafide legends.

After watching the movie, I was lit up with inspiration, motivation, sadness and new awarenesses of what made QUEEN one of the biggest brands and musical talents in history.

As an entrepreneur who is on a mission to create your legendary Powerhouse brand, you want to keep reading, pay attention and apply these powerful lessons from QUEEN.

#1 CONFIDENCE AND CHARISMA

Queen particularly lead singer Freddie Mercury had confidence large enough for him and everyone around him. He said, “I always knew I was a star, and now the rest of the world agrees with me.”

He was charismatic. People said he had an uncanny ability to make everyone feel like he was connecting with them personally even the person at the very back of a stadium filled with people. While most people doing anything great he was highly criticized for his looks. Freddie was born with four extra incisors. It made him insecure and he was teased a lot.

Instead of focusing on insecurities of his usual appearance he embraced its gift. The extra incisors meant more space in his mouth which meant more range. He focused on its gift. One media person asked, “why haven’t you fixed your teeth?” He confidently replied, “It’s Britain, I don’t want to stand out.”

It is that powerful confidence that allowed Queen to break the status quo and explore the full range of their creativity. They believed in making enduring music and were confident that there were people out there who were like them, misfits who believed in quality over popularity. This made them popular.

Be confident in who you are. The thing that makes you odd is the very thing that makes you amazing to your ideal clients.

Believe in yourself and step outside the templates with confidence that there is a world of people who will get you and appreciate your genius. But first, you must own your genius.

#2 BE BOLD

When their record label executive refused to launch their song Bohemian Rhapsody saying that no one would listen to it and it was too long (six minutes, most songs are three minutes and a few seconds long)… what on earth is Bohemian Rhapsody???

Queen believed in the song. The Executive could not understand it because it was different. It crossed genres, it wasn’t like anything anyone had ever heard… it didn’t make sense.

Queen believed that they had created a true masterpiece and that anyone who had an appreciation for poetry, music with substance and art, would understand it.

They believed in themselves and when the label refused to release it, Freddie took matters into his own hands and gave it to a DJ friend who played it forcing the label to release it.

There will be people who don’t believe in your masterpiece; who just don’t get it. You have to believe in yourself and be BOLD. Take action and make it happen. Fortune Favors the Bold. The song became one of the greatest musical releases of all time and made Queen artistic legends.

#3 GREAT BRANDING

Queen was not successful for talent alone. They had brand development thanks to Freddie Mercury an former art student and fashion designer. Before he joined the band, the group was called “SMILE”.

Imagine that!

Freddie conceptualized the name QUEEN because it was universal. Everyone could understand it. Plus is it was hilarious, a bunch of guys named Queen. He felt it had a regal heir and positioned them as supreme.

He didn’t stop there. He also rebranded himself. His real name was Parsis, Farrokh Bulsara. He gave himself a more commercially viable stage name FREDDIE MERCURY. Now that is catchy.

They wore flamboyant outfits even queer, especially Freddie, that became their signature style.

What is the most genius is how he created their logo. In the spirit of being a family, it was a highly symbolic logo with the animal symbols of all four members’ zodiac sign and a Phoneix protecting them. It was a powerful reminder that they were all in this together. One family. A powerful message. This is important for a group’s survival.

Further on the branding side, their work was highly commercially appealing. The songs expressed the emotions that almost everyone could relate to. Topics like:

Being Victorious “We are the champions” a song that has been an anthem of winning no matter what.

Keep moving despite adversity – “The show must go on”, a song that chronicles Freddie Mercury’s tenacity and continuing to performing despite approaching the end of his life.

They also got their audience engaged in the performances in a way that they became part of creating the musical experience by tapping their feet and clapping their hands.

This level of audience engagement cultivated fam loyalty. They felt invested in the group. They felt as if they were a part of QUEEN. Get your audience involved. Make them feel a part of your brand.

Behind every great talent and powerhouse is a great brand.