‘I’m going home’: Elton John has a meltdown in emotional behind-the-scenes footage

Grammy and Oscar-winning musician shared honest footage of the struggles he went through while recording his new album. Elton John has shared candid behind-the-scenes footage of him having a meltdown as he struggles with a piece of music. In the insightful clip, the legendary singer-songwriter is seen slamming his headphones down and declaring: “I’m going home.”. The video was posted to coincide with the announcement of his new studio album with Brandi Carlile, titled Who Believes in Angels?.

Scheduled for release on 4 April, the record was devised by “close friends and regular collaborators” John, Grammy-winning US artist Carlile, and Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Andrew Watt. John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin also contributed lyrics for the songs, which were recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles in October 2023. The short film about the process of making the album is the first time John, 77, has permitted cameras in his writing and recording sessions.

“I wanted this album to be special, but you can’t guarantee when you go in the studio that something’s gonna be special,” he says in a voiceover clip. “Reality is, I was exhausted. I had a lot of doubt. I was a nightmare.”. In one scene, Watt can be heard telling him: “Dude, I’m just trying to make the song as best it can be, you’re so impatient!”. In another, a visibly grouchy John snaps at Watt after he asks if he’s ready to record: “Why do you think I’m sitting here?”.

“Angry, I was tired, I was irritable,” the “I’m Still Standing” legend confesses. “Elton was prone to moments of insecurity, especially when the stakes were high,” Carlile says. “There were times I thought, ‘Why does he want to do this? Why? Why has he gone from Glastonbury to making an album with me.”. The EGOT-winning star had recently performed the final show of his farewell tour at on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, a set that was described in a five-star review for The Independent as “the glitziest, most high-energy retirement party the world has ever seen”.

Yet the musician was clearly exhausted in the months after his two-hour performance and the tour as a whole, admitting there was “tension in the studio” when he and his creative partners got to work. “I’m going home,” he announces to Watt at one point in the film. However, things began to turn around as he realised: “There’s other people involved. I can’t abandon it. And the fog started to lift. Once we got going, Jesus.”.

He added: “I wanted to play better, sing better, write better, and challenge myself at the age I am. Brandi really pushed me. For me it’s immaculate. This came out the way I wanted it to come out.”. Another emotional moment shows John sobbing at the keyboard as Carlile gives him a hug. “This never happened to me in my whole career,” he says, wiping his tears away. “Is that OK?” he asks, making Carlile and Watt laugh.