Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including seven number ones in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", rewritten in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts. He has also produced records and occasionally acted in films. John owned Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2002. He is an honorary life president of the club.
New Friends
nytimes.comFew albums last year did more to rewire the notion of what pop music’s future might sound like than Rina Sawayama’s debut, “Sawayama.” The touchstones were eclectic and invigorating: nu-metal, shiny 2000s megapop, glam club tracks, rap-rock and more.
It was both audaciously theatrical and also deft at deploying theatrical modes as the foundation of a new sincerity, one somewhere out beyond camp or kitsch.
In this, it found obvious kinship with Elton John, who has been an exemplar of baroque pop for decades. More than any superstar of his generation — and even those that followed — John is also a curious and ravenous consumer of the new in pop.
