Earlier this month, Elton John announced that he would be releasing a new collaborative album with Brandi Carlile.
The upcoming project, titled Who Believes in Angels?, was previously described by the pop megastar as "one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life".
He also described himself as a "nightmare" during the recording process, driven by his feelings of "doubt" and "insecurity" over what the finished album would be like.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the pair shine new light on just how difficult making the record was, revealing that John, returning to his well-known diva-ish temperament, threw a few "classic" temper tantrums. At one point, Carlile recalls John even telling her to "fuck off".
The Candle In The Wind singer says: "“I’m 77. If I don’t push myself, what’s the point of carrying on? Just be ‘Elton John’ for the rest of my life? [That] would have filled me with absolute fucking horror.
"I could do an ‘Elton John’ record easily. That’s what I didn’t want to do any more. I wanted a challenge.”
Explaining how his irritability effected his manner during the sessions, he continues, "I was very grumpy, I was tired, I didn’t feel well and I was extremely nervous. And that nervousness caused quite a few sparks to fly."
Reflecting on those tense moments, Carlile says: "He smashed his iPad. He smashed headphones. There were really amazing, classic Elton John outbursts.
"My lyrics got torn up and thrown on the ground – he goes: ‘Fuck off, Brandi.’ He would yell: ‘Predictable! Cliche!’”.
The country folk singer also revealed how John wasn't keen on her regaling her childhood affections for him, and that while she didn't tell him at the time, she felt that he sometimes took his outbursts too far.
"Elton doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal" she notes. "He doesn’t like listening to stories of my childhood love for him. There was so much riding on my perception of Elton versus who Elton really is.”
Who Believes in Angels? is due out on April 4, and will feature appearances from Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Chad Smith, Pino Palladino (Nine Inch Nails) and former RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
