Legendary singer-songwriter Elton John has just come out and said that he struggled with the ethical dilemma of collaborating on an album with Brandi Carlile, wondering if it was right in these times of global unrest.
The iconic 'Tiny Dancer' singer teamed up with the country singer on their new album, Who Believes in Angels?, but was initially hesitant because of the world's strained political atmosphere. Female First UK reports that Elton's reservations almost killed the project—until Brandi assured him of music's ability to unite people and spread good vibes.
Speaking with Rolling Stone UK, Elton related, "Brandi wrote a track entitled 'A Little Light' on the day that Israel attacked Gaza. She was staying in her home next door, and I had newspapers covering the table. I said to her, 'Why are we recording an album while all of this is occurring? It is inhumane to be in the studio.'"
He continued, “And she told me, ‘We have to focus on the positive. As musicians, our job is to bring people together—that’s our purpose.’ After that, she wrote lyrics about staying hopeful, and that completely shifted the direction of the album.”
According to Female First UK, when the two first conceived of the project, Elton was determined not to do "traditional power ballads." He stated, "I didn't want it to be a formula back-and-forth where we both sing one line. I wanted harmonies. I wanted it to be an actual duet album."
Brandi seconded his opinion, commenting, "We did few ballads because he said, 'People are gonna think that we're gonna do big, dramatic power ballads. Let's catch people off guard and do happy, uplifting, fun songs.' And I was thinking, 'That's a brilliant challenge.'"
Once the direction of creativity was determined, Elton, Brandi, lyricist Bernie Taupin, and producer Andrew Watt dived wholeheartedly into the recording process.
Looking back on the experience, Elton said, "I didn't want to repeat anything I'd ever done before. I wanted to challenge Brandi, and she pushed me right back. Andrew and Bernie pushed us even further. By the end, we were firing on all cylinders—recording a track a day, nailing first takes instantly."
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