Elton John's Concerns About Recording with Brandi Carlile

Synopsis

Elton John expressed concerns about collaborating with Brandi Carlile on an album amidst global turmoil, questioning its humanity. However, Carlile emphasized the power of music to unite and uplift, leading to a positive and dynamic creative process.

Key Takeaways

Elton John feared recording amid global issues.
Brandi Carlile emphasized music's unifying power.
The album features uplifting tracks over ballads.
Collaboration pushed both artists creatively.
They recorded tracks quickly with strong synergy.

Los Angeles, March 29 (NationPress) Iconic singer-songwriter Elton John has expressed concerns about whether it was “inhumane” to collaborate with Brandi Carlile on a new album given the troubling state of the world.

The ‘Tiny Dancer’ creator has partnered with the country artist on the upcoming LP ‘Who Believes in Angels?’, but he began to question the viability of the project due to the global political unrest. A friend reminded him that music plays a crucial role in uniting people and spreading positivity, as reported by ‘Female First UK’.

He mentioned in an interview with Rolling Stone UK, “Brandi wrote a song titled ‘A Little Light’ on the day Israel invaded Gaza. Brandi was at her house next door, and I had all the newspapers spread out on the table, questioning, ‘Why are we recording an album when all this chaos is happening? It feels inhumane to proceed’.”

He added, “She replied, ‘We need to focus on the positive; as musicians, it’s our duty to bring the world together. That’s our mission.’ After that, she penned lyrics centered on positivity, which significantly influenced the direction of the album.”

According to ‘Female First UK’, when the project was initially proposed, Elton was keen to avoid “power ballads” as he aimed to challenge expectations. “I didn’t want it to be a duet with alternating lines. I desired harmonies. I wanted it to be a genuine duet record,” he explained.

Brandi added, “We minimized the ballads because he insisted, ‘Everyone will anticipate us to create power ballads. Let’s focus on upbeat, positive, and uplifting tracks’. I thought that was an incredible challenge.”

Once they established the project's direction, Brandi and Elton, along with co-writer Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt, quickly found their rhythm.

Elton stated, “I didn’t want to revisit a sound I’ve explored before. I aimed to challenge Brandi, and she challenged me, and Andrew drove both of us to push further, along with Bernie. In the end, we were on fire, recording a track a day with instant first takes.”