Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s new album, Who Believes in Angels?, was released on Friday, April 4, alongside a short film documenting the creative process. 

The film premiered at the 92nd Street Y in New York, where John, 78, appeared alongside Carlile, 43, producer Andrew Watt, and songwriter Berni Taupin.

During a panel discussion, John revealed he was “not in good shape” while making the record, feeling tired, exhausted, and doubtful about his ability to contribute. 

He said, “More than anything I had so much doubt about my ability to come through in what we needed to come through. And that led to a lot of aggression and bad behaviour.”

Despite the challenges, John praised Carlile’s influence, saying, “I’ve never done anything like this before… Eventually, I got a lyric about Laura Nyro, who was one of my idols. It just fell into place as a song.” 

The album explores themes of the afterlife, with Carlile’s anecdotal songwriting and requiems for artists’ past.

In the short film, John tells Carlile, “F–– off Brandi,” which Carlile attributes to John’s unfiltered nature. 

She said, “Things like that got thrown around and I just thought to myself, ‘This is such a wild experience… The music comes out of his brain and through his hands because nothing stops it, because he hasn’t censored himself.'”