Elton John burst into tears as he was comforted by the piano (Image: Instagram )
Music icon was captured on camera having an emotional breakdown as he allowed filming inside the recording studio for the very first time during his illustrious career.
In astonishing scenes, the musician is seen furiously slamming down his headphones while exclaiming “f***ing nightmare”, and later, in a fit of frustration, he tears up a piece of sheet music proclaiming: “I’m going home.”
Against all expectations, Sir Elton set up numerous static cameras to document the creation of his surprising new album Who Believes In Angels? alongside musical talent Brandi Carlile.
Thousands of hours of intense and “emotionally turbulent” recordings from Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound Studios were taken, capturing not just creative moments but also Sir Elton’s heated interactions with producer and songwriter Andrew Watt.
In a candid voiceover, Sir Elton acknowledges the strenuous atmosphere, stating that there was “tension in the studio” during the October 2023 recording sessions, reports .
Sir Elton John is releasing a new album (Image: Instagram)
He confesses: “The reality is…I was exhausted, I had a lot of doubt, I was a nightmare. I was angry, I was tired, I was irritable…I felt I don’t want to do it.”
In one segment, Watt inquires “Are you ready to record? ” only to be met with Sir Elton’s sharp retort: “Why do you think I am sitting here.”
Subsequently, Watt can be heard reprimanding him: “I am just trying to make the song as best as it can be…you are so impatient.”
Brandi Carlile also found herself in the firing line. She recounted: “Elton is prone to bouts of insecurity especially where the stakes are high. I am having a hard time connecting to Elton. There were times when I thought why does he want to do this.”
Elton admitted that the studio session had been tense (Image: –)
However, Elton, who has undergone hip and knee replacement surgeries in recent years, revealed that the “fog started to lift” and his team, including long-term collaborator Bernie Taupin, began to find their rhythm.
He shared: “I felt there were other people involved, I can’t abandon it…..finally it all started to flow. I wanted to play better, sing better, write better and challenge myself at the age I am.”
The outcome is an album that insiders are touting as potentially one of the best of his career, completed in a mere 20 days.
Elton John is working with Brandi Carlile on the album (Image: –)
He added: “It came at the end of the most amazing year: the Dodgers stadium in America, Glastonbury. I’m 76 and I want to do something different. I don’t want to coast. For me it’s immaculate, this came out the way I wanted it to come out”.
His team also announced ‘An Evening With and Brandi Carlile’ at The London Palladium on March 26.
Upon revealing the new album, his team described how the footage “ultimately documented the entire creative process – breakdowns, breakthroughs, tears, torn up lyric sheets and all.”
They further stated: “The candid footage offers fans an unprecedented, searingly honest insight into the emotionally turbulent creative process for Elton, Brandi and the rest of the team.”
Elton got emotional as he worked hard in the studio (Image: –)
Elton, previously featured in the 1997 documentary Tantrums and Tiaras and married to David Furnish, views the album as the start of the second phase of his career.
He remarked: “This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. It has given me a place where I know I can move forward. Who Believes In Angels? feels like going into another era and I’m pushing the door open to come into the future. I have everything I’ve done behind me and it’s been brilliant, amazing. But this is the new start for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is the start of my career Mark 2.”
Hot on the heels of his revelation, the first single, aptly titled Who Believes In Angels?, hit the airwaves.