Brandi Carlile Says Elton John Destroyed an iPad, Told Her to ‘Fuck Off’ While Recording Their Album

Elton John and Brandi Carlile just announced their new collaborative album, Who Believes In Angels?, and it sounds like the recording sessions were very tense. Elton actually smashed his iPad and told Brandi to “fuck off” at one point.

The pair recently spoke with The Guardian about the project, and Elton explained that a big part of why he wanted to do the album in the first place was that he knew it would be a “challenge.”

“I’m 77. If I don’t push myself, what’s the point of carrying on? Just be ‘Elton John’ for the rest of my life? [That] would have filled me with absolute fucking horror,” the iconic singer said. “I could do an ‘Elton John’ record easily. That’s what I didn’t want to do anymore. I wanted a challenge.”

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Elton eventually confessed that during the recording sessions he “was very grumpy,” which is understandable considering that the project came together in less than three weeks and followed his massive headline set at Glastonbury and his recovery from a second hip replacement and needing a new knee, per NME.

“I was tired, I didn’t feel well and I was extremely nervous,” the “Bitch is Back” singer continued. “And that nervousness caused quite a few sparks to fly.”

Elton John Smashed His iPad and Told Brandi Carlile to ‘Fuck Off’ While Recording Their Collab Album

Carlile then offered some personal anecdotes, revealing, “He smashed his iPad. He smashed headphones. There were really amazing, classic Elton John outbursts.” She added, “My lyrics got torn up and thrown on the ground—he goes: ‘Fuck off, Brandi.’ He would yell: ‘Predictable! Cliche!’”

The “Crowded Table” singer added that, while Elton’s outburst never crossed a line and made her feel uncomfortable, “there were definitely points that I felt that.” Carlile also explained that her collaborator didn’t love being exalted as her musical hero.

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“Elton doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal,” she said. “He doesn’t like listening to stories of my childhood love for him. There was so much riding on my perception of Elton versus who Elton really is.”

Explaining his behavior, Elton clarified that he was dealing with a lot of anxiety at the time. “It wasn’t me being anxious about other people, it was me being anxious about me,” he said, then adding, “Once we got through the first three songs, we knew we had something. And I was much more relaxed … but I was a bit of a nightmare.”

Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s Who Believes In Angels? drops April 4 via Island EMI.