Elton John Reunites With ‘Lockdown Sessions’ Collaborators For ‘Ultimate Zoom Chat’
The star-studded chat also featured Stevie Wonder, Miley Cyrus, Damon Albarn, Charlie Puth and many more.
Elton John has united almost all of the 23 collaborators that appear on his recently minted 32nd album, The Lockdown Sessions, for what may very well be the Ultimate Zoom chat of all time.
Among those that appear in the chat are modern-day trailblazers like Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa, Charlie Puth, Young Thug and Rina Sawayama, as well as fellow music legends like Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Brandi Carlile and Damon Albarn. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder also makes an appearance, showing off an artwork of John “dominating the world” drawn by John Entwistle of The Who.
“If there’s anything that’s going to make a difference in the world, connected with love, it’s music,” Wonder said during the call. “We do it from our hearts, we do it from our experiences, and we share those emotions with you, the people.”
The ‘Ultimate Zoom’ video closes out with a cheeky cameo from Ed Sheeran and you can check it out below.
The Lockdown Sessions was released back in October, and followed up earlier this month with a making-of documentary. In a four-star review of the album, the NME called ‘The Lockdown Sessions’ an “all-bets-off stylistic game of spin-the-bottle” that “feels attuned to 2021’s post-genre Spotify world, as Elton continues to further his musical universe”.
Speaking to NME, Elton John said he enjoyed the sense of having come full circle as an artist with The Lockdown Sessions. “I thought, ‘I’m becoming a session musician again like I was 54 years ago,’” he said, “‘and it feels good.’ I had no restrictions, and I actually loved playing on other people’s records. It was different sorts of music, and music and artists that I loved, so I was in my element. It was like Back To The Future.”
He added: “You have to go in there with no ego when you’re playing on someone else’s record and just give them exactly what they want. But also enjoy the process too.”
At the start of December, John and Sheeran linked up for a Christmas-themed single bluntly titled “Merry Christmas”. The pair also featured on another Christmas song, “Sausage Rolls For Everyone”, released by novelty duo LadBaby (comprised of YouTuber Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne).
