Elton John Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Legendary singer Sir Elton John has sent his 'love and thoughts' to Kate Garraway and her family following the death of her husband Derek Draper.

Kate Garraway and her family are reported to be “trying to stay strong” after facing a Christmas Day by Derek Draper’s beside.

Britney Spears has delivered some naked truth: she says reports of a new album are “trash,” and she will never return to the music industry.

In her 2023 memoir, The Woman In Me, Britney Spears wrote that “pushing forward in my musical career is not my focus at the moment.” However, sources have revealed that multiple songwriters are working new music for an upcoming album that could arrive as soon as this year. Both Charli XCX and Julia Michaels are mentioned by Page Six as being among the artists who have written songs for the rumored follow-up to Spears' 2016 album Glory.

Miley Cyrus, which was released in January and went on to spend 10 weeks at the top of the singles charts. Other female acts who dominated the singles chart included Dua Lipa, Kenya Grace, Ellie Goulding, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, RAYE and more.More impressively, 48.5 per cent of all songs to reach the Top 10 in 2023 were released by women – a milestone which meant it was female musicians’ highest annual share of Top 10 hits of the century. Check out the 10 best-selling singles of the year overall below.1. Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’2. Dave & Central Cee – ‘Sprinter’3. RAYE ft 070 Shake – ‘Escapism’4. Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’5. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding – ‘Miracle’6. Rema ft Selena Gomez – ‘Calm Down’7. SZA – ‘Kill Bill’8. PinkPantheress ft Ice Spice – ‘Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2’9. Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’10. Libianca – ‘People’As for albums, The Guardian reported that the last 12 months marked the ninth year of growth for the British music industry, with sales and streams increasing by 10 per cent (equivalent to 182.8million albums) and streaming hitting a record high with 179.6billion over the year.

Naman Ramachandran 2023 was the year of the woman in the U.K. music business. Women artists spent the most weeks at No.1 on the Official Singles Chart in a calendar year since the countdown launched in 1952, according to analysis of Official Charts data by BPI, the trade body of the U.K.

Charli XCX is reportedly working on music for Britney Spears‘ comeback album.Spears hasn’t released any music since 2016’s ‘Glory’, taking a hiatus to fight the conservatorship her father had held over her since 2008. Jamie Spears was suspended from his role as conservator in 2021.Despite that, she has guested on two songs – will.i.am‘s ‘Mind Your Business’ from last year and Elton John‘s ‘Hold Me Closer’ from 2022.Now, sources have suggested that Charli XCX is part of the writing team for Spears’ prospective comeback album, but has not yet met her.“The Britney album is being kept top secret.

Elton John has allegedly completed a new album with Brandi Carlile.During a recent roundtable conversation with Clash Music, The Who‘s Pete Townshend – who has been close friends with the ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer for over 50 years now – shared that John has been at a loss following the end of his farewell tour. He ended up reaching out to Carlile to begin working on a project.“Elton is so fraught with loss at not knowing what to do next.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Elton John and Brandi Carlile apparently have recorded a new album together, according to an interview with Elton’s longtime friend, the Who’s Pete Townshend, that was published by Clashmusic late last month. Speaking about Elton’s plans now that he’s retired from touring, Townshend said, “Elton is so fraught with loss at not knowing what to do next.

A nightclub that was one of the country's longest-running and which saw the likes of Sir Elton John and Eric Clapton grace its stage is set to be demolished.

Made in Chelsea stars Maeva D'Ascanio and James Taylor have said "I do" for the second time during a Christmas themed wedding. The couple, who have one-year-old son Beau, officially tied the knot at the Chelsea Registry Office in November in front of a small group of friends and family.

Elton John has unveiled his favourite festive songs of 2023.The legendary singer-songwriter shared his selection as part of a Christmas edition of his Rocket Hour show on Apple Music.The list included his own 1973 festive hit ‘Step Into Christmas’ along with seasonal songs and covers by Elvis, RAYE and Phoebe Bridgers.Taking to his official Instagram account, ahead of the show he wrote: “It’s the Rocket Hour Christmas Special! This year I have selected an eclectic mix of old and new, ranging festive classics from The Ronettes, Elvis Presley and Greg Lake, to some of my favourite new Christmas songs and covers from contemporary artists including RAYE, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, as well as some lesser-known deep cuts.

William Earl administrator One of The Onion’s classic headlines reads: “Marilyn Manson Now Going Door-To-Door Trying To Shock People.” The satirical article, published in 2001, was a devastating blow to a musician whose career consisted of dressing like a lunatic and screaming profane lyrics. Once you shine a light on it, the shtick becomes embarrassing quickly. That headline came to mind when reading a tweet Ricky Gervais posted in the days before the release of his new Netflix special, “Armageddon“: “In this show, I talk about sex, death, pedophilia, race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the holocaust and Elton John.

Sir Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin has described him as a “good psychiatrist” in a new interview.Speaking with Goldmine magazine for their Winter 2023 edition, Taupin recalled memories from the start of his over five-decade songwriting career, during which he became known for his work as Elton John’s lyricist. The songwriter told the publication that John is one of the first people he reaches out to for advice, calling him “the ultimate psychiatrist”.“If you need to get something off your trust, he’s the first person you need to go to to get some easy answers,” Taupin said.

Wham! have secured the Christmas 2023 number one single with Last Christmas, having missed out on the title for 39 years. The pop duo, comprised of the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, landed the top UK chart spots for their first and second albums and also found success with a number of hits – including Last Christmas in December 1984.

BBC Radio 5 Live in an interview on Wednesday.“I’m even saying I don’t do that,” he said. “Literally saying in the joke I don’t do that.”In “Armageddon,” premiering Christmas Day, Gervais refers to making videos for the Make-A-Wish foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill children, during the pandemic — and says his first reaction to the kids is “Why didn’t you wish to get better? What, you f – – king retarded as well?”“I didn’t do that either,” he tells the live audience. “These are all jokes, all right? … I don’t burst into hospitals and go ‘Wake up baldy.

Alicia Keys is doing her part to bless the world with her incredible voice. The singer always brings a smile to fans’ faces, and this week, she shared a festive video with her followers on Instagram from her Christmas album.A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys)Set to her 2022 cover of “Santa Baby,” Keys shared a clip from the visualizer she used for the Christmas classic.

A Scot could make history tomorrow – becoming the producer with the most consecutive Christmas No1s.

Ricky Gervais has addressed a petition that was launched for him to remove a controversial joke from his upcoming comedy special.Armageddon, which will air on Netflix on Christmas Day, features a joke about Gervais being busy making videos for terminally ill children for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.The Office UK star shared that he makes the videos only on request, saying he doesn’t burst into hospitals and go, ‘Wake up baldy’”.He then added that he starts his videos to the children saying: “Why didn’t you wish to get better? What, you fucking ret***ed* as well?”Although he clarified that he was making a joke, many viewers were outraged at the sneak-peak of the one-hour comedy special, for which Gervais has already put out a warning, saying he discusses “sex, death, paedophilia, race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the holocaust, and Elton John’ in Armageddon,” adding that “if they [the audience] don’t approve of jokes about any of these things, then please don’t watch.”One viewer, who is a parent of a child who has suffered from cancer, launched a petition asking Netflix to remove the skit. The petition called Gervais “not only distasteful but also heartless” and criticised the “derogatory language” he used.It also posed the question of “how a writer or anyone at Netflix could green light such appalling content”.Now, Gervais has responded to the petition, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “I’m literally saying in the joke that I don’t do that.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large And then there were four. Season 10 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” airs this Wednesday with finalists Donut (Group C champion), Sea Queen (Group B winner), Cow (Group A victor) and Group A “Ding Dong Keep It On” recipient Gazelle.

Wham! taking the lead for the peak position on the charts.The news follows a neck-and-neck race between the iconic ‘80s pop duo Wham! And Eurovision star Sam Ryder over the past week, with their respective songs ‘Last Christmas’ [1986] and ‘You’re Christmas To Me’ [2023].At the first look at the race last week, just 42 chart units stood between the two taking the top spot on the UK charts, however, this week it has been revealed by the Official Charts that Wham! are in pole position, and have widened the gap between Ryder’s Amazon Music original track – which remains at Number Two.However, it doesn’t seem likely that the charts will stay this way until Christmas, with Ryder set to play a fan-exclusive gig tonight (December 19) in Shoreditch, London, in a push to promote the song in time for Christmas Day.Similarly, today (December 19) The Pogues are sharing a special, limited-edition physical run of their own iconic Christmas song ‘Fairytale Of New York’ in a push to climb the charts.Originally released in 1988 and featuring Kirsty MacColl, the track is being reissued in memory of the band’s late singer Shane MacGowan, who died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old and his funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.All proceeds from the reissue will be donated to the Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, and the release also arrived alongside a fan campaign to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time.The push for the top position on the charts has also been endorsed by Shane MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.

Chic legend Nile Rodgers and Merck Mercuriadis – former manager of acts including Elton John and Beyoncé – and was set to share its half-year results today (December 19).However, it has confirmed that it will be delaying the publication of the results due to concerns that music catalogues and songs are not being valued high enough amid a sale.As reported by The Independent, the UK firm decided to sell just under 30 music catalogues to the sister fund, backed by investment giant Blackstone in September this year.The deal valued the assets at about $418million (£360million), however, this number was down by nearly a quarter compared to the valuation it was given back in March.It came as the company revealed it did not receive any better offers as interested parties “could not justify” a higher price, and also sold 20,000 “non-core” songs for about $23million (£20 million) – nearly a 15 per cent discount on a September valuation.Amid the potential sale, Hipgnosis – which spent $1billion (£720m) acquiring artists’ back catalogues in 2021 – stated that the valuation received from an independent valuer is “materially higher than the valuation implied by proposed and recent transactions in the sector”.As confirmed by the outlet, a spokesperson for Hipgnosis has said that the company has sought advice from its investment adviser, Hipgnosis Songs Management, which gave the board “concerns as to the valuation of the company’s assets in its interim results”.It was also reported that the fund launched a strategic review two months ago, which could potentially lead to the replacement of founder and chief executive Mercuriadis.The half-year results are now expected to be published by December 31.

Elton John has unveiled a list of his 15 favourite songs of 2023.The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer has spent the year talking about music on his Apple Music show Rocket Hour, in which he shared his favourite tracks and provided insight into the up-and-coming artists he had been listening to recently.Taking to his official Instagram account, John shared his top 15 tracks of 2023. The caption of his post read: “2023 has been a fantastic year for new artists and great songs.

Naman Ramachandran Musician and BAFTA nominated actor Olly Alexander will represent the U.K. at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden. Alexander revealed the news on Saturday during the finale of BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing.” As a musician, Alexander fronted English band Years & Years, which in recent years has evolved into a solo project.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The last “Saturday Night Live” of the year is always a special occasion, and 2023 was no exception: Billie Eilish performed the television debut of “What Was I Made For?,” written and recorded for Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster “Barbie.” Eilish was accompanied by her brother/ collaborator Finneas and jazz bassist Christian McBride, as well as a six-piece string ensemble. “What Was I Made For?” was introduced by Gerwig who appeared on stage alongside this week’s host (and “Barbie” costar) Kate McKinnon in a joyful embrace.

Alicia Keys had a surprise for London residents. People on their way to work were surprised by Keys’ surprise four song set at St. Pancras International Station.

Clara Amfo, the host of BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds show, has announced she will be stepping down next year to focus on new projects with the network. Jack Saunders, who currently presents Future Artists and The Official Chart shows, will take over from April 15.

Clara Amfo, who danced her way into our hearts on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, has decided to say goodbye to her BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds show after two years.The DJ announced that she'll be leaving the show in 2024 to take on new exciting projects. Jack Saunders, known for presenting Future Artists and The Official Chart shows, will be stepping into Clara's shoes from April 15. Clara shared a heartfelt message saying how proud she was of her work on the station and how grateful she was for her listeners.The show has seen some big names like Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Steve Lamacq at the helm before.

Queens of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has reflected on the tribute show held for Taylor Hawkins in 2022 and his friendship with Dave Grohl.In a new interview with NME, Homme spoke about performing David Bowie‘s ‘Let’s Dance’ with Nile Rodgers in honour of Hawkins, who away passed in March last year, at Wembley Stadium last September.“That felt really good, because I’ve always placed a really high value on escapism as a really top commodity,” he said.“Being able to sing ‘Let’s Dance’ with Nile Rodgers at Wembley for my friend… Taylor would have loved that gig so much. It’s such a wonderful thing that perhaps only Dave [Grohl] could do as a send-off like that.

Prince Harry has been ordered to pay The Mail on Sunday‘s legal costs of nearly £50,000 ($62,800) after trying to have part of the UK tabloid paper’s libel defense thrown out.

Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras’ Tour has officially become the first tour to gross $1billion (£796million).According to Pollstar, a live entertainment trade magazine, Swift has now set the record for the highest-grossing tour of all time. The popstar hit the ten-digit threshold after sixty shows and eight months of being on the road.Previously, Sir Elton John held the record for the highest-grossing tour, with his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour earning $939million.

Pete Tong has announced new details of his ‘Ibiza Classics’ UK arena tour for 2024.The BBC Radio 1 DJ released the ‘Ibiza Classics’ compilation album back in 2017, where iconic dance songs were covered by Jules Buckley and The Heritage Orchestra. The album features renditions of The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, and Armand Van Helden.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Billie Eilish and her brother and collaborator Finneas O’Connell have received Grammys, an Oscar and just about every award and honor and tribute and kudo young recording artists can imagine in the six years since her debut EP in 2017, but even they can still be awed by a tribute from a respected influence. That happened at Variety’s Hitmakers celebration in Los Angeles on Saturday, when Elton John’s lyricist of 56 years, Bernie Taupin — who has written the lyrics for everything from “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” to “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind” — paid tribute to their songwriting partnership when rewarding them with the Film Song of the Year honor for “What Was I Made For?,” their song from the summer blockbuster film “Barbie.” Before an audience that included Boygenius, Joan Baez, Olivia Rodrigo, Victoria Monet and many others (SZA hadn’t arrived yet), the following exchange took place: Taupin’s tribute and Eilish’s response (Finneas just said “Thanks guys!”) follows in full.

A.D. Amorosi To paraphrase David Mamet’s caustic sales pitch from “Glengarry Glen Ross,” KISS has always been closing. That’s fine.

Ethan Shanfeld Bowen Yang channels George Santos channeling Elton John in this week’s “Saturday Night Live” cold open, performing a parody of “Candle in the Wind.” “It seems to me like I’ve lived my life like a scandal in the wind / Never knowing who to cling to when the law closed in,” Yang sings as the disgraced congressman. In the next verse, he belts out, “It seems to me like I’ve lived my life like an evil Forrest Gump / I’m the guy who lied even too much for Donald Trump.” At one point, Yang pulls a “fake baby” out of the piano, mirroring a viral video in which Santos carries an undisclosed baby around the halls of Congress.

Ethan Shanfeld Emma Stone joined “Saturday Night Live‘s” coveted Five-Timers Club this Saturday, and was welcomed into “SNL her-story” by Tina Fey and Candice Bergen during her monologue. Fey and Bergen gifted Stone with the iconic Five-Timers Club jacket, which Stone joked had a joint in the pocket. “That must be Woody Harrelson’s jacket,” Bergen quipped.