Elton John, who is releasing album Who Believes In Angels on April 4 with American musician and friend Brandi Carlile, advises new artists to go play in a pub
Elton John says that getting instant fame on shows like X Factor is “the worst thing that can happen to you” in the music industry.
The 77-year-old, who is releasing album Who Believes In Angels on April 4 with American musician and friend Brandi Carlile, advises new artists to go play in a pub.
He believes that performing to very few people early on in his career stood him in great stead for when he got famous.
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine the music icon, real name Reginald Dwight, said: “Just keep trying to play live.
“That’s the way you improve as a musician and songwriter. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing to 40 people.
“The more experience you get playing to nobody, the better. Because when I played [at the start], we played to hardly anybody sometimes.
“That experience stood me in great stead for when I became Elton John because I had backbone.
“And backbone is so important, because the worst thing that can happen to you in the industry are things like X Factor and instant fame on television where you have no experience of playing live.
“You get put on stage, you go, and you can’t do it. Take risks. Go and play in a pub.”
At 15, Sir Elton the you advising was hired as a pianist at a bar near his home in Pinner, North West London. It would set him on the road to success, becoming one of the bestselling artists ever.
“I can’t live without music,” admits Elton, a champion for up and coming artists. “It nearly killed me, but it also kept me alive, and it keeps me alive today. But not the music of the past so much. Although I do listen to jazz and stuff like that, but it’s the music of the future that keeps me alive.”
Still producing music, dad-of-two Elton, who is married to David Furnish, opened up on his and 43-year-old Brandi’s friendship, Elton said: “I love her so much not just as a person, but I love what’s inside of her musically and creatively.”
Brandi is equally complimentary of Elton, saying: “He is explosively funny. You can’t keep up with him. He is going to win in a battle of wit. He’s encyclopaedic about music, always enthusiastic. He’s calling people, helping young people, generous, and just kind of a blast to be around.”
Singing about his death on the album’s last song, When This Old World Is Done With Me, Sir Elton says he’s been thinking a lot about his mortality of late.
“When you’re 77 years of age and you have a family and you have two children, there’s only a certain amount of time you’ve got left,” he added.
“I don’t like talking about it, but you have to be realistic.”
The latest issue of Rolling Stone UK, above, is out now.
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