Elton John changed Glastonbury plans at the last minute, Stephen Sanchez reveals
The pair were originally meant to team up on 'I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues'
By Nick Reilly
Stephen Sanchez has revealed how he was set to duet with Sir Elton John on ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’ at Glastonbury, until the rock legend changed his mind.
The 20-year-old singer joined Elton for his Pyramid Stage slot last Sunday and performed his TikTok smash ‘Until I Found You’ while backed by the music icon and his band.
Now, Sanchez has revealed that he was actually set to perform the 1983 track with Elton, until the singer saw him perform at The Troubadour and decided to highlight his own music.
Sanchez told Rolling Stone UK: “We’d spent weeks doing that and then he came to see me and the boys at The Troubadour.
“The week after, he just rang me and said, ‘Stephen, I’ve had a thought. I don’t want you to sing one of my songs. I think it would be far better if you sang your song and we gave you this big moment for you and your career.’
“I was just blown away by that selflessness and his desire to, you know, expose new artists and new music.”
As well as Sanchez, Sunday night’s show saw Elton championing the new talent of Gabriels frontman Jacob Lusk, who joined him on ‘Are You Ready For Love’ and Rina Sawayama, who assumed the Kiki Dee role on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’.
“He’s just so incredibly intentional with things like that,” Sanchez added.
“He knew what that would do for our careers and he knew that it would sit in the glory of being his last show in the UK. He wants to champion other artists and pass the torch, so to speak. It’s just amazing. It’s been a huge honour.”