Fresh off his Mercury Prize win, Sam Fender has shared a new song, “Talk to You,” which features Elton John on piano. The Marcus Dravs-produced track comes off on the forthcoming deluxe edition of Fender’s LP, People Watching, which is set to be released on Dec. 5 via Capitol Records.
“‘Talk To You’ was written during the People Watching sessions at British Grove,” Fender said in a statement. “It’s a song about the end of a long relationship — about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it. It’s that feeling of losing your best friend and coming to terms with that. I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call? And of course, who better than Elton John.”
John added, “Sam was writing and recording in a studio in West London and called to say he’d written a song with a piano riff that he thought would sound great with me playing it. I couldn’t resist, and it was so much fun playing it for him. I truly love Sam. He’s been a friend for many, many years and it’s incredible to see him grow into being a truly world class artist.”
Fender unveiled People Watching, his third album, in February. The deluxe edition will feature eight new tracks, including “Talk to You” and “Rein Me In,” which features Olivia Dean.
Last night, Fender won the Mercury Prize for People Watching. “I just I really didn’t – we did not expect this at all,” he told the crowd at the ceremony, held at Newcastle, England’s Utilita Arena. “I want to say thank you to – I cannot think.”
Of selecting the winner, the prize’s judging panel said, “People Watching by Sam Fender is both melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community. These are thoughtful songs with broad appeal, as cinematic as they are intimate, making People Watching a worthy winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.”
Other nominees included FKA twigs, PinkPantheress, Pa Salieu, Jacob Alon, and Pulp. Fender performed the title track from his album during the awards ceremony.
