Exclusive: Sam Fender announces song with Elton John
Sam calls working with Elton 'an experience I'll never forget'
Last updated 10th Dec 2020
Sam Fender has exclusively revealed to Absolute Radio that he has written a song with music legend Sir Elton John.
Back in February, at the personal request of Sir Elton, Sam Fender performed a set at the 28th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, California.
The performance peaked with the Rocketman joining Sam onstage at the Oscars bash for a rousing duet of the Newcastle singer’s huge single ‘Will We Talk?’
Speaking to Absolute Radio’s Sarah Champion this week about his poignant Christmas song – a version of 'Winter Song' by local Geordie band Lindisfarne – Sam said that alongside Sting and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Elton John has congratulated him on the cover.
Revealing that Elton is saved in his phone as ‘Uncle Elton’, Sam let slip about the collaboration, saying: “I mean we wrote a song together so… we haven’t… nobody’s heard it but… but yeah.”
Asked by Sarah if it will appear on his second album, Sam replied: “Probably not on my album, we may just release it as like a thing together.”
He continued: “Me and Elton were like ‘we’ve got to try and do something!’ So I just did it like old school I had these lyrics for a song which I'd kind of done - well, my own way - but I wasn't too fussed about the way I'd done it; I loved the lyrics but I wasn't really fussed about the thing, so I just basically played Bernie Taupin for a day and I just put the lyrics in front of Elton.
“He's just a wizard, like on the piano, an absolute wizard. The man, his craft and his ability to just come up with melodies and fantastic chord arrangements in split seconds… it's almost like he's not thinking about it, like he puts it down and it just happens. And within five to 10 minutes, we have this Elton John song. That's an experience that I'll never forget. It will stay with us.”
You can watch Sarah Champion’s full interview with Sam Fender below where he also reveals that Sting cried upon hearing 'Winter Song', discusses how work is going on his second studio album, his saxophone player Johnny "Blue Hat" Davis’ various claims to fame, and much more.
Watch Sam Fender speak to Absolute Radio’s ‘Sarah Champion’:
You can also check out the highly powerful video for Sam Fender’s ‘Winter Song’ below, which deals with themes of homelessness.
The video was created in collaboration with People Of The Streets - an international social enterprise that puts human stories at the heart of the public conversation on homelessness.
Find out more about People of the Streets RIGHT HERE - an incredible team who work hard to help the homeless and disadvantaged.