Sam Fender reveals he turned down collaboration opportunity with Elton John
The Tyneside singer-songwriter said he didn't want to rush his album ‘Seventeen Going Under’ to feature on John's ‘The Lockdown Sessions’
Sam Fender revealed that he declined an opportunity to collaborate on Elton John’s new album ‘The Lockdown Sessions’.
Speaking to the Daily Star’s ‘Wired’ column, the singer-songwriter said that he was busy working on his second album ‘Seventeen Going Under’, and didn’t want to “rush” anything.
While the duo performed live together in the past with a rendition of Fender’s ‘Will We Talk?’ at John’s post Oscars charity party last year, Fender passed on the opportunity to feature on John’s number one album.
“Elton is now actually a friend, so I’ve been hanging out with him and learning some of his tricks,” he said (reported by Yahoo!).
“He’s a legend. We were going to do something for his ‘Lockdown Sessions’ album but I needed to stay focused on what I was finishing.
“We didn’t want to rush it or fuck it up, so I hope we can return to it down the line or drop it in later.”
Fender also shared in the interview that he was also able to reach out to The Jam’s Paul Weller for musical guidance.
“Both have their opinions on the album. Paul’s great to bounce things off because he’s a lyric writer himself, he really engages with that.”
John recently said in an interview with NME that Fender had become “a very close friend”, sharing his belief in the musician.
“You put your arm around people like that and say listen, ‘This is your time’,” he said. “You can feel it’s his time now.”
The Tyneside star was one of three to grace Rolling Stone UK’s first ever cover. In the interview, he spoke about the need for more working class voices in the music industry.
“When I meet musicians who are from quite affluent backgrounds, I find it hard not to have some sort of prejudice. I don’t want to, but I can feel a chip on my shoulder,” he said.
“It’s because the kids from where I’m from don’t get the money.”
He continued: “Think of all the other fucking amazing, real artists, who’ve got genuine, everyday problems to write about that people will latch onto that are just sat there, but instead we’ve got fucking wet-lettuce c***s writing songs that are just so fucking shit.”
Fender is due to embark on a UK tour next year.
Sam Fender ‘Seventeen Going Under’ tour dates
MARCH 2022
21 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
20 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
24 – 3Arena, Dublin
26 – SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
27 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
30 – Brighton Centre
APRIL 2022
1 – The SSE Arena, Wembley, London
5 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
6 – Castlefield Bowl, Manchester