Elton John reveals what Kiwi artists he wants to collaborate with the most

Elton John has revealed what Kiwi artists he most wants to collaborate with.

The legendary musician is currently promoting his brand new album The Lockdown Sessions, which sees him collaborate with some of the biggest names in pop music. The album features tracks with several huge artists, including Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus and Stevie Nicks.

He speaks to The Project tonight, and during the interview, he shared which New Zealand musicians he most wants to work with in the future.

When asked if he wants to collaborate with any artists from NZ, he said:

"Absolutely! Benee, who I love very much. And I'd love to do something with Lorde, obviously," he said, singing the praises of some of Aotearoa's top music talent.

Elton John shares what Kiwi artists he wants to work with the most. Photo / Discovery
Elton John shares what Kiwi artists he wants to work with the most. Photo / Discovery

He said he is constantly inspired by new generations of talent. He mentioned how he responded when he listened to Lorde for the first time.

"When the first Lorde record came out, Royals, it was like... how did you do this?"

Sir Elton is also a fan of Six60. In March 2020, he personally invited Benee and Six60's Matiu Walters to appear on his Apple Music radio show.

"The lead singer of Six60 came over to Sydney and did my radio show, and Benee also did my radio show.... and then you have other artists down there that do so well. I find it so inspiring," he told The Project.

Six60 frontman Matiu Walters and pop star Benee join Sir Elton John on his Rocket Hour podcast. Photo / Supplied
Six60 frontman Matiu Walters and pop star Benee join Sir Elton John on his Rocket Hour podcast. Photo / Supplied

"It was pretty wild," Benee told the Herald at the time about the experience.

"I freaked out beforehand and then I met him and he was just the sweetest guy and he was just so chill."

Walters said he came away from the experience feeling "on top of the world".

"He knew the details of our deal with our label and he had theories about the type of music we had. And without even seeing us live he would say stuff like 'I feel like a lot of people sing along at your shows'. So he could kind of read into the music which was really cool."

• Watch the full interview tonight on The Project at 7pm on Three. Elton John's Lockdown Sessions is released on Friday, October 22.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.

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