Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran are planning to release a Christmas duet this December. During a radio appearance on Wednesday 6th October the “Shape Of You” singer confirmed the exciting news. The interview was aired on Jan-Willem Stat Op, a radio show on the Dutch radio station NPO Radio 2. Sheeran announced the news on air to hosts Jan-Willem Roodbeen and Jeroen Kijk in de Vegte. Within the interview, Sheeran stated that during last year’s Christmas they discussed their possible musical venture.
The radio show took to their Twitter to share the news. The post features a short clip from the interview which shows Sheeran discuss the new duet.
Grote primeur in het 10-voor-9 journaal! @edsheeran heeft een kerstsingle met @eltonjohn gemaakt. pic.twitter.com/sygJQNTvbS
— Jan-Willem Start Op! (@jwstartop) October 6, 2021
The singer confirmed the duo’s plans when the hosts questioned Sheeran regarding a possible Christmas release. Sheeran replied certifying that the two were working on music and described the new song as, “It’s f—ing great.“.
Sheeran proceeded to recount the events leading up to the pair’s decision. The “Shivers” singer stated how he talks to Sir John often and recounted the telephone conversation which led to their new duet. Sheeran recounted how Sir John rang him on Christmas day in 2020 to present the collaboration. “He rang me on Christmas Day and he said, ‘”Step Into Christmas” is No. 6 on the charts, and I’m 74, and I’m still having f—ing chart hits, this is great! I want to do another Christmas song, will you do it with me?‘
Sir John is no stranger to a holiday single, the singer released the festive track “Step into Christmas” in 1973. The single was released with the b-side: “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey At Christmas)” and charted at number 24. In 2019 the single re-entered the charts and peaked at number 8. The track is often a chart favourite amid the Christmas season and often re-enters the chart as shown in Sheeran’s quote.
Within the interview, Sheeran discussed how he initially felt apprehensive to accept Sir John’s offer. However, Sheeran sadly lost a close friend, and the tragedy changed his mind. “I’ve never really wanted to do a Christmas song. It really just hit home how stuff can just change overnight, I was like, ‘Why the f–k am I not doing a Christmas song with Elton John? I might not be here tomorrow, this will be a f—ing great way to celebrate Christmas.’”
Sheeran has had a lot to celebrate this year, the 30-year-old singer has enjoyed a long run of number one singles. The singer’s newest single “Shivers” has been occupying the number one single spot for the past three weeks. Sheeran’s previous single “Bad Habits” also achieved great success within the charts. Both singles have been taken from the singer’s upcoming fourth studio album. Sheeran’s newest album entitled = is set to be released on 29th October 2021.
Sheeran’s legendary collaborator Sir John has also been releasing new material this year. The “Tiny Dancer” singer has released various collaborations, the most recent being the new duet with Stevie Wonder. All tracks have been taken from his upcoming album The Lockdown Sessions, released on 22nd October 2021. Also included within the famed pianist’s new album is his duet with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart”. The single scored the duo a number one single and still remains in the charts.
Click here to listen to the full interview.
