Brandi Carlile: I’m still a ‘f****** fan’ of Elton John
Brandi Carlile says she still feels star-struck making music alongside her idol Sir Elton John.
Brandi Carlile is still a “f****** fan” of Elton John, despite the pair collaborating together.
The folk and country star has just released her ninth studio album Returning To Myself, following the chart-topping success of Who Believes In Angels?, her first UK No1 which she made with Sir Elton, but although they have worked together as musicians Brandi is still in awe of the Rocket Man singer.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "When you’re growing up and when you get to meet the people that you’ve had on your bedroom walls. It’s more than music. I get how important it is to work with these people because I am a f****** fan.”
The pair first joined forces last year after Elton reached out to Brandi following her performance at his annual Oscar viewing party in Los Angeles. Impressed by her powerhouse vocals and raw songwriting, he invited her to collaborate on Who Believes in Angels? and their creative chemistry led them back into the studio for her latest record - a project Carlile says would never have happened without his encouragement.
She said: “I’m astounded by Elton’s generosity. He could have made an album with anyone — and choosing to make it with me was such a compliment. He’s the most iconic living artist on the planet but what that did for me emotionally is something I try not to put on his shoulders, so that he can exist independent of my expectations of him. But it did a lot for me, because he is my hero and we have a special chemistry as friends.”
Returning To Myself marks a period of reflection for Brandi, who describes the record as a chance to slow down and reconnect with her emotions. The album includes a stripped-back solo version of You Without Me, a song she first recorded with Sir Elton John.
She said: “It’s a song that feels relevant to where I’m at in my life. There’s been a lot of looking back.”
Carlile draws a parallel with the career of American blues-rock artist Bonnie Raitt, who spent years building her reputation in clubs and on the road before finding mainstream success later in life.
The 44-year-old singer said: “Bonnie had been making music forever, working hard and playing with different bands, and then one thing changed and everything took off. When that happens to you, you remember all the years the phone never rang. Then suddenly it doesn’t stop ringing, and you just keep saying yes to everything because you know one day it’ll stop.”
She admits that constant momentum eventually caught up with her: “I stayed in that headspace for a long time — chasing every opportunity, wanting to do it all. Then I hit a wall. My mind and body didn’t warn me; they just shut down. It was a sign I needed to stop. But when the songs keep coming, you can’t ignore them. You have to listen and move with that.”
