The Lockdown Sessions

Dua Lipa And Lil Nas X Join Elton John To Celebrate The Power Of Music On The ‘Ultimate Zoom’ Call

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While in lockdown, Elton John found himself with ample time on his hands. Rather than picking up crocheting as a hobby or buying a Peloton bike like so many others did at the time, John decided to get to know some of today’s chart-topping musicians the best way he could — by collaborating over Zoom. Thus, his album The Lockdown Sessions was born, a 16-track genre-spanning project featuring today’s top artists.

To ring in the holidays and celebrate the success of The Lockdown Sessions, which landed at No. 1 in the UK, John once again opened up Zoom and gathered all his collaborators in once place for the “Ultimate Zoom” call. John began the call and soon after, artists like Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Rina Sawayama, Eddie Vedder, SG Lewis, Charlie Puth, Brandie Carlile, Damon Albarn, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks, and Young Thug all joined.

The 4-minute video was both a celebration of the album and a reminder of all the little frustrations of virtual calls like WiFi issues or distracting noises in the background. According to press materials, the video is meant as a “celebration of the way that Zoom has enabled people to continue to work, interact and create music in the most challenging of circumstances.”

Watch Elton John, Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and more on the “Ultimate Zoom” call above.

The Lockdown Sessions is out now via EMI Records. Get it here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Elton John, Young Thug, And Nicki Minaj Commit To A Lifelong Partnership On ‘Always Love You’

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Just like a lot of artists around the world in a number of genres, Elton John spent his time in quarantine working on a plethora of new music. As a result, the legendary singer decided to create a project out of the songs he made during that time, one he titled The Lockdown Sessions. He announced the project at the beginning of September, and today, it’s available for fans to listen to. Across the project’s sixteen songs, a highlight appears on “Always Love You” with Young Thug and Nicki Minaj. The track sees the trio committing to a lifelong partnership with individuals they’ve deemed perfect to spend a lifetime with.

Prior to releasing The Lockdown Sessions, Elton John shared a number of singles to build up anticipation for the project. They include “Finish Line, “After All,” and a remix of “Cold Heart.” Altogether, the project also sees appearances from Dua Lipa, Surfaces, Charlie Puth, Rina Sawayama, Gorillaz, 6lack, Miley Cyrus, SG Lewis, Brandi Carlile, Jimmie Allen, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, and more.

While “Always Love You” marks the first song between Elton and Minaj, it’s the second record between him and Young Thug following their 2018 track “High,” which sampled the singer’s hit song “Rocket Man.”

Watch the “Always Love You” video above.

The Lockdown Sessions is out now via Mercury Records Limited/EMI. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Elton John Announces A Collaborative Album Featuring Lil Nas X, Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, And More

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Elton John has spent a lot of time working with other artists over the past year or so, and now he’s commemorating that era with The Lockdown Sessions, a new album consisting of collaborations. While the project, which is set for release on October 22, is billed as a new album, it is like a compilation in ways, as it features previously released songs on which John is featured, like Gorillaz’s “The Pink Phantom” and Miley Cyrus’ cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”

Aside from the aforementioned, the album features collaborations with Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, Eddie Vedder, Lil Nas X, Nicki Minaj, Rina Sawayama, SG Lewis, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Surfaces, Years & Years, Young Thug, and others.

John says of the project:

“The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one‐off projects kept cropping up. Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I’d obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens. But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I’m known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory. And I realized there was something weirdly familiar about working like this. At the start of my career, in the late 60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I’d come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast.”

Check out the The Lockdown Sessions art and tracklist below.

Interscope

1. Elton John and Dua Lipa — “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)”
2. Elton John, Young Thug and Nicki Minaj — “Always Love You”
3. Surfaces — “Learn To Fly” Feat. Elton John
4. Elton John and Charlie Puth — “After All ”
5. Rina Sawayama and Elton John — “Chosen Family”
6. Gorillaz — “The Pink Phantom” Feat. Elton John and 6lack
7. Elton John and Years And Years — “It’s a sin (global reach mix)”
8. Miley Cyrus — “Nothing Else Matters” Feat. Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, and Chad Smith
9. Elton John and SG Lewis — “Orbit”
10. Elton John and Brandi Carlile — “Simple Things”
11. Jimmie Allen and Elton John — “Beauty In The Bones”
12. Lil Nas X — “One Of Me” Feat. Elton John
13. Elton John and Eddie Vedder — “E-Ticket”
14. Elton John and Stevie Wonder — “Finish Line”
15. Elton John and Stevie Nicks — “Stolen Car”
16. Glen Campbell and Elton John — “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”

The Lockdown Sessions is out 10/22 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.