Sir Elton: How Charlie Puth inspired new album

Sir Elton John says he gave singer-songwriter Charlie Puth “a real talking to” the first time they met about stretching himself musically.

“He’s only just scratched the surface,” said Sir Elton.

“He can write brilliant pop songs, but there is an inner Stevie Wonder in this man.

“I’ve seen him play the piano and he’s got perfect pitch and he’s capable of so many different things.”

Sir Elton and Charlie were speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake about their duet After All.

The track features on Sir Elton’s new album The Lockdown Sessions, a collection of 16 collaborations.

The Rocket Man singer says Charlie was the “catalyst” for the record.

“Charlie kickstarted it all,” he said. “I’m very grateful to him for that.”

The two performers were introduced for the first time in a restaurant in Los Angeles, shortly before Covid hit.

As they lived four doors down from each other, Charlie invited his neighbour to come to his studio.

“I went out there with no expectations and I sat down at his electric piano and wrote a melody straight away, which is very unusual because I write to lyrics,” said Sir Elton. “And then he finished it off and we had a song.”

Charlie says it was like the song “just fell out of the sky”.

“I didn’t have to edit it,” he said. “Usually, I have to do a lot of surgical work, perfecting things, but he played at perfect tempo. He didn’t play it to a metronome.

“All I did was write the rest of the lyrics…then put the drums on and we had a song. It was unbelievable.”

After recording with Charlie, Sir Elton went on to work with some of the biggest names in music including Stevie Wonder, Dua Lipa and Stevie Nicks.

The duet with Dua Lipa reached number one, making the 74-year-old legend the first solo artist to score a UK Top 10 single in six different decades.

Charlie says working with him had changed his outlook on creating music.

“Before I met Elton, I was just overthinking and so worried about what would be perceived as popular sonically and worried about staying relevant,” he said.

“He told me that all I have to do is implement what I’ve learned.”

As well as inspiring each other musically, the duo have become friends.

So much so, Charlie is now on the long list of people Sir Elton likes to prank.

“I’ve grown a callous to it, I know it’s coming. Every text message, every FaceTime, I know exactly what it’s going to be,” said Charlie.

“I’m British and British people have a very mischievous sense of humour, and of course I love torturing people with it, like Charlie,” said Sir Elton.

As well as speaking about his relationship with Charlie, Sir Elton Elton shared his views on another of his collaborators on the album, Lil Nas X (pictured).

The American rapper announced he was gay in June 2019.

“He’s a hurricane of fresh air. He’s a seismic shift in how the hip hop community must regard gay people,” said Sir Elton.

“He’s got so much bravado and so much sense of humour and irony.

“It’s hard to not just take to him and watch him and think: ‘Wow, where did this come from?’”

Sir Elton also opened up about his cancelled tour.

The five times Grammy-award winner was due to undergo hip replacement surgery this month after a nasty fall on holiday.

It meant he had to postpone his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour again with UK dates pushed back to 2023.

He said it was a painful decision to make but the right one.

“I’m a recovering alcoholic so everything that happens I have to accept, and I can’t really change it,” he said.

“I hate disappointing people and I hate cancelling shows…but I would let them down if I was starting this tour and had to cancel it halfway through.”

Listen to the full interview on Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, October 21, at 2pm.