Reggaeton star Mariah Angeliq was invited, alongside six other artists, to transform Queen’s “A Kind of Magic” into a track that fits her own style by Coca-Cola’s music platform, Coke Studio.
In addition to producing a two-minute film, The Conductor, which features snippets of each artist’s performance, Coke Studios also released a standalone video that features Angeliq’s full rendition of the song. While this version is shorter than the other performers’ covers, clocking in at only a minute and thirty-two seconds, Angeliq’s performance offers a fresh take on the 1986 hit. The song sounds nearly unrecognizable, with bouncy, tropical-inspired beats. In the video, the Latin trap artist is accompanied by background dancers, inspiring viewers to get up and dance.
“It was so dope to see all the different artists, different cultures being brought together, and I feel blessed to be part of this,” says Angeliq about the artists involved in the project, in a behind-the-scenes featurette. She adds, “It felt like an honor to be a part of anything that Freddie Mercury or Queen is a part of.”
But given how as a reggaeton artist her musical style is so vastly different from Queen’s, this meant Angeliq had to explore new territory within her sound. “I would say the only struggle is trying to sing like [Freddie Mercury] because, you know, he has such a strong and unique voice and nobody can sing like that.”
In an Instagram post previewing The Conductor, Angeliq wrote, “UYYY! Got to create some #RealMagic with a bunch of other amazing artists! We put our spin on Queen’s iconic song, ‘A Kind Of Magic’ for Coke’s new #ad. Pueden encontrar el video en el YouTube de Coca-Cola #CokeStudio ahora!.”
In addition to Angeliq, the other artists featured in the cover project are Ari Lennox, Griff, Ekin Ekin Beril, Tems, Tesher, and TRI.BE.
Buy or stream Mariah Angeliq’s version of “A Kind of Magic.”
