Rina Sawayama has announced the forthcoming release of a new version of her song ‘Chosen Family’, which features Elton John as a special guest. The British rising star originally released the track on her debut album SAWAYAMA which recently celebrated its 1st birthday this April.
‘Chosen Family’ is an emotional ballad dedicated to her LGBTQ+ family. The powerful track will now be bolstered by Sir Elton’s guest vocals and piano stylings. Sawayama said in a statement: “It was such a joy and honour to rework ‘Chosen Family’ with the legendary Elton John. The song means so much to both of us, and recording it together was such a special experience I will never forget. I got shivers when I heard his voice through the monitor and became emotional when he added the piano parts.” She added that “Elton has been such a huge supporter from before the album, and when we finally met to record this song we clicked from the get go. I hope people can hear the magic!”
Listen to the original song below:
Elton John had previously expressed his appreciation of the young artist to the New York Times: “Rina’s album just blew me away. I had to call her up and tell her how brilliant it was. I mean, it was Led Zeppelin meets Prince meets a couple of things that referenced Madonna. I think her songs ‘Bad Friend’ and ‘Chosen Family’ Madonna would have killed for. It was so many musical influences, but done in her own way, so it didn’t feel like pastiche”.
This new version of ‘Chosen Family’ will be released on Wednesday (April 14). The track is set to premiere on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music show at 5pm before a video premiere follows at 6pm.
