For more than three decades, Freddie Mercury’s private archive, a treasure trove of unfinished songs, lyric fragments, personal notes, and creative experiments, has remained untouched. That silence is about to be broken.
A Life in Lyrics, a new book curated by Mercury’s closest friend and former fiancée Mary Austin, will be released on September 1, 2026 through HarperCollins. Timed to coincide with what would have been Freddie’s 80th birthday, it promises to offer something rare: an unfiltered glimpse into the singer’s creative process.
The book will feature previously unpublished and unreleased material, including alternate lyrics, abandoned verses for songs like Bohemian Rhapsody and Don't Stop Me Now, and entire songs that never made it to the recording studio. Alongside the manuscripts are personal photographs, Austin’s anecdotes, and memories of life shared with one of music’s most enigmatic frontmen.
Freddie left Mary his home, possessions, and creative archive after his death in 1991. For decades, she kept these papers sealed away in Garden Lodge, their London home. “I began to leaf through some of Freddie’s private papers in 2023,” Austin said in the official statement, noting that the materials “had lain, undisturbed and unseen” for over thirty years.
What she found wasn’t just history, it was the heartbeat of Mercury’s artistry. “Here were the working drafts for Freddie’s lyrics, set down across loose sheets of paper and in simple, plain notebooks that entirely belied the wonders within,” she explained. The rediscovery stirred “memories from decades passed, of conversations, occasions and emotions.”
“Freddie’s songs continue to bring so much happiness, and solace, to so many,” Austin added. “I hope that by sharing his manuscripts now, contextualized with fresh insights and a sprinkling of vignettes of our lives together, I will illuminate the remarkable creative force of my dear friend for the enjoyment of everyone he continues to delight and inspire, even after all these years.”
The decision to release these archives follows Austin’s 2023 auction of many of Mercury’s personal possessions, an event that drew global attention. Earlier this year, Mercury’s sister Kashmira Bulsara reportedly spent around £3 million to keep some of those pieces in the family.
Now, rather than dispersing his creative legacy, Austin is bringing Mercury’s voice back into the spotlight in a way few expected: through his own words, preserved on paper.
