Elton John announced on Wednesday he will release The Lockdown Sessions, a collection of pandemic-time collaborations with artists like Nicki Minaj and Charlie Puth, on Oct. 22.
“The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album,” the 74-year-old music icon said, in a release. “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.”
John said the process was “weirdly familiar” to his experiences as a session musician in the late 1960s. “Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that,” he said. “I’d come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast.”
WATCH: Elton John Performs "Cold Heart" At Cannes Restaurant
The Lockdown Sessions includes last month’s single “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” with Dua Lipa as well as a remix of the May cover of the Pet Shop Boys hit “It’s a Sin” by John and Years & Years.
There is also the cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” by Miley Cyrus on which John is featured with WATT, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith. It was released in June.
Also part of the collection are collaborations with artists both old (Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder) and new (Lil Nas X) and from diverse genres (Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile).
The Lockdown Sessions ends with “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” by the late Glen Campbell. The original version of the song, released in 2014 for the documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, earned a Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar. John has described it as "one of the most beautiful songs of all time."
The singer was forced to pause his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, after doing shows in eight cities across Canada. Among the postponed concerts were two each in Toronto and Montreal, which have been rescheduled for February.
John also added a pair of stadium shows in Canada – Sept. 7 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and Oct. 21 at Vancouver’s BC Place.
The Lockdown Sessions track list:
1. Elton John & Dua Lipa – “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)”
2. Elton John, Young Thug & Nicki Minaj – “Always Love You”
3. Surfaces feat. Elton John – “Learn To Fly”
4. Elton John & Charlie Puth – “After All”
5. Rina Sawayama & Elton John – “Chosen Family”
6. Gorillaz feat. Elton John & 6LACK – “The Pink Phantom”
7. Elton John & Years & Years – “It's a sin (global reach mix)”
8. Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith – “Nothing Else Matters”
9. Elton John & SG Lewis – “Orbit"
10. Elton John & Brandi Carlile – “Simple Things”
11. Jimmie Allen & Elton John – “Beauty In The Bones”
12. Lil Nas X feat. Elton John – “One Of Me”
13. Elton John & Eddie Vedder – “E-Ticket”
14. Elton John & Stevie Wonder – “Finish Line”
15. Elton John & Stevie Nicks – “Stolen Car”
16. Glen Campbell & Elton John – “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”