Elton John has revealed he has seven new songs from Bernie Taupin that are ready to record.
In a wide-ranging interview for Variety published on Tuesday, the music legend emphasised that while he retired from touring in 2023, he continues to work on music.
As part of the conversation, Elton divulged that Bernie, his longtime songwriting collaborator, recently sent him some new tracks.
“I’ve got seven new lyrics from Bernie, and David (Furnish, husband) read them to me the other night, and they’re really, really good, so I can’t wait to go in the studio with Andrew (Watt, producer) and just write and see what happens,” he told the outlet. “Music has been my whole life and has given me so much and takes me on journeys that I never thought I would ever go on – and it’s still doing that. I just like doing the odd thing. It pays the rent very well, and it keeps me musical. I just can’t wait to go into the studio now and write some new songs and go from there.”
Last year, Elton announced that he had lost his eyesight after contracting a severe eye infection.
While the situation has been “devastating” for the Rocket Man hitmaker, he has noticed improvement in his vision in his left eye after undergoing treatments.
“This is where we’re getting encouraging little baby steps, going in the right direction, which is really good. We (found) a teleprompter with a green typeface, which is easier for him to read. And we got the font size great, and we just put that in front of him when he’s writing at the piano. It’s just like having Bernie’s handwritten sheet of lyrics in the ’70s,” shared David.
And despite his health concerns, Elton insisted that he won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ll have done 11 private shows by the end of the year, which I’ve never done in my life – some solo, some with the band. And it’s been fun, because I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to see the piano keys or the microphone. And I can see, because everything’s so close up,” the 78-year-old added.
