New album features collaborations recorded in lockdown
Elton John has announced the forthcoming release of The Lockdown Sessions, an album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last 18 months. The 16 track album will be released on October 22nd via Interscope Records.
In March 2020, John was forced to pause his record breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour due to the unfolding COVID pandemic. As the world began to shut down, different projects presented themselves with artists John had enjoyed getting to know through his Apple Music show Rocket Hour. This was the beginning of one of John’s boldest and most interesting records to date that he has billed The Lockdown Sessions. This album saw John coming full circle and returning to his roots as a session musician. While it was no easy feat recording during a pandemic, a completely new way of working for John, he leaned into the challenge with some magnificent results.
Kicking off with current single “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” with Dua Lipa, the album takes the listener on a heady journey through many different genres, all held together with expert finesse and understanding by one of the greatest champions of music of our time. Much more than a mere collaboration album, The Lockdown Sessions is a dazzlingly diverse collection of 16 tracks with 10 brand new unreleased tracks that celebrates togetherness and sees John collaborating with an unparalleled range of artists only he could draw together. The enduring influence of his musical milestone with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived. An unprecedented 20+ artists feature spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique style to the album that is sure to hold its place amongst one of pop and rock’s greatest songbooks. The Lockdown Sessions sees Elton collaborate with GRAMMY Award winning producer Andrew Watt on five of the tracks.
“The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one‐off projects kept cropping up. Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I’d obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens. But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I’m known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory,” John shares. “And I realized there was something weirdly familiar about working like this. At the start of my career, in the late 60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I’d come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast.”
An unparalleled career that has forever changed the cultural landscape, Elton John’s collaborations with Bernie Taupin and others continue to shape the cultural landscape, break records, top charts and win new fans across the generations. We’ve had the book, the film, the farewell tour, the fashion collections and the greatest hits. And now with The Lockdown Sessions available on digital formats, fans can enter John’s new world which is no doubt another fitting addition to his oeuvre.
CD
- Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
- Elton John, Young Thug & Nicki Minaj – Always Love You
- Surfaces feat. Elton John – Learn To Fly
- Elton John & Charlie Puth – After All
- Rina Sawayama & Elton John – Chosen Family
- Gorillaz feat. Elton John & 6LACK – The Pink Phantom
- Elton John & Years & Years – It’s a sin (global reach mix)
- Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith – Nothing Else Matters
- Elton John & SG Lewis – Orbit
- Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Simple Things
- Jimmie Allen & Elton John – Beauty In The Bones
- Lil Nas X feat. Elton John – One Of Me
- Elton John & Eddie Vedder – E-Ticket
- Elton John & Stevie Wonder – Finish Line
- Elton John & Stevie Nicks – Stolen Car
- Glen Campbell & Elton John – I’m Not Gonna Miss You
