Elton John admits he “lost the person that I was” after becoming famous
Ahead of releasing his new collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes In Angels?, Elton John has reflected on his lengthy career and admitted he lost his sense of identity after becoming famous.
In the early 1970s, John worked at a frantic pace to become one of the biggest musical names on the planet, which is a position he’s retained for over half a century. However, in a new appearance on the Smartless podcast, the singer opened up about his struggles and why he’s currently happier than ever before.
When asked about his early musical ambitions, John told host Jason Bateman: “I never imagined myself as a solo artist, when I was in my group, Bluesology, I took the big risk of going to Liberty Records and saying, ‘I want to writes songs, I’m so fed of being in a band that doesn’t want to go anywhere, and I can sing too’.”
John then explained how that led to him being put in touch with Bernie Taupin which put him on the path to superstardom. He continued: “I had to go out and play them (songs) live and I really didn’t have any visions of being Elton John, the superstar. It just happened very, very quickly, so it was so exciting because I came to America and there was Neil Diamond introducing me, there was Brian Wilson, there was Linda Ronstadt, there was Leon Russell. All those people that were my heroes, and suddenly, I was there.”
At the start, the journey was everything he’d ever hoped for, adding, “I was a kid in a candy store, I never really visualised Elton John being a big star. It all happened by accident.”
He then explained the difficulties that later came down to line due to being thrown into the limelight, telling the three hosts, “We did so much work in five years and went to the pinnacle of fame in five years. I lost the person that I was originally. That was very hard for me, and it took me loads of years to get it back. I got it back when I got sober, which is 35 years this year, hopefully.”
Thankfully, John’s sobriety has allowed him to unlock his real self once more, which laid dormant for many decades, noting, “That little boy inside of me had vanished, but the little boy has come back, and everyone needs that little child inside of them to keep them going. Unfortunately, I lost it and it made me very sad and depressed.”
Who Believes In Angels? is set for release on April 4th and was recently premiered by the duo at an intimate concert at The Palladium in London.
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