Elton John unveils the drama behind making surprise record with best friend

He’s no stranger to “tantrums and tiaras” yet Elton John’s surprise album trailer shows a raw and honest light on the rock legend.

Elton John has revealed his secret album and the tantrums, tears and triumphs that went into the making of it with a warts-and-all trailer.

The surprise album Who Believes in Angels? is a collaboration with his best friend, and revered American singer songwriter, Brandi Carlile.

Bernie Taupin, his lyricist partner of 57 years, and the go-to artist whisperer and rock producer Andrew Watt, who just won another couple of Grammys for his work with the Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, were also equal partners in the album’s creation.

“The reality is I was exhausted, I had a lot of doubt, I was a nightmare ... I was angry, I was tired, I was irritable,” he said in the trailer.

The footage of him snapping at his collaborators, throwing headphones and threatening to walk out was filmed by his director and manager husband David Furnish.

Besties Elton John and Brandi Carlile have made a secret record together after years of collaboration. Picture: Getty.

John has been sharing fly-on-the-wall film of his life on and off stage for most of his career and as anyone who watched the excellent 1997 documentary Tantrums and Tiaras is acutely aware, you do not want to be in the room when he is in meltdown mode.

The foursome wrote and recorded the record over 20 days in October 2023 and for the first time, the Rocketman singer allowed cameras, directed by Furnish, to document the emotionally turbulent creative process.

John had come off his marathon Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour, with historic concerts at Dodger’s Stadium and the Glastonbury festival, when the team convened in the fabled Los Angeles studios Sunset Sounds to embark on the unique project.

“I’m 76 and I want to do something different; I don’t want to coast,” he said.

Carlile and her wife Catherine Shepherd are regarded as family by John and Furnish.

“I’ve idolised Elton John since I was 11 year old,” she said.

The “family” of Catherine Shepherd, Brandi Carlile, Elton John and David Furnish at the Golden Globes in January. Picture: Getty.

John shared his adoration: “When I met her, I fell in love with her and I just thought she had the most amazing voice. I knew I would find her inspiring and I knew she would find me inspiring.

“But I've never done anything like this before ... I wanted this album to be special but you can’t guarantee when you go into studio that something’s going to be special.”

The pair have shared a lot of time together on stages, on holidays and previously, in the studio.

The new record includes their 2025 Oscar nominated song Never Too Late, created especially for the Disney+ documentary of the same name about the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

An equally-insecure Carlile struggled with the vibe at the early recording sessions, sharing in the Who Believes in Angels? trailer she had a “hard time connecting with Elton”.

“Elton’s prone to moments of insecurity, especially where the stakes are high,” she said.

“There were times I thought ‘Why does he want to do this? Why is he going from Glastonbury to making an album with me?’”

The pair have been collaborators and friends for several years. Picture: Getty.

In the trailer, John told Watt, at one tense juncture, he was going home. But whatever happened off mic, which the producer demanded be turned off for their heart-to-heart chat, Watt persuaded the music legend to keep going.

“And I thought ‘Well, there’s other people involved; I can’t abandon it.’ And the fog started to lift. Once, we got going, Jesus!” John said.

The songs flowed, the gang got into the groove. John said he wanted to “challenge myself at the age I am,” to play better, sing better and write better.

When this music family enjoyed a breakthrough, John burst into tears, with Carlile tenderly comforting him as he let it all out.

“This never happened to me, my whole career,” he told her.

Who Believes in Angels? can now be preordered ahead of its April 4 release, with the title track unveiled as part of the announcement of the secret album release.

“This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life,” John said in a statement to launch the record.

“It has given me a place where I know I can move forward. Who Believes In Angels? feels like going into another era and I’m pushing the door open to come into the future.

“I have everything I’ve done behind me and it’s been brilliant, amazing. But this is the new start for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is the start of my career Mark 2.”

Carlile said she was still “reeling from the fact that I got to do it.”

“I think all ships rise with Elton John’s standards for songwriting, and it was an incredibly challenging and inspiring environment to work in, everybody throwing in ideas, everybody listening to everybody else’s ideas. It felt like a family.”

Other musicians on the record included Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Pino Palladino (Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan and David Gilmour) and Josh Klinghoffer (Pearl Jam, Beck).