Elton John praises young female pop stars

Sir Elton John says pop music is in good hands with today's generation of female musicians.

The 77-year-old British singer says 2024 was an "incredible" year for female pop stars. He named Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, RAYE, Billie Eilish and Charli XCX as some of the stand-out talents of the year.

He made the comments during a recent visit to BBC Radio 2 to promote his new album with Brandi Carlile.

"I can't remember a year where the pop songs were so good for a long time. Really great songs," he told host Scott Mills.

Carlile agreed: "High-quality pop."

John believes pop music is in a good place right now.

"You can tell because the top 20 never moves because it's the same songs, but the songs, they last. You don't get fed up. I didn't get fed up with 'Espresso' and I didn't get fed up with 'Apple' by Charli XCX. I still play those records and they came out quite a while ago," he said.

Carpenter released 'Espresso' in April 2024, and it became one of the biggest songs of the year. It remains in the top 10 on the ECR Top 40 with Styles (Brought to you by CTM).

Eilish, Roan, and Abrams are also featured in the current chart.

Carlile says it has been amazing to see the younger generation of pop stars look up to the ones that came before them.

"They've happened simultaneously to a resurgence in awareness and respect for Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell. Everybody's thinking and reading a lot about them as they've reentered the zeitgeist. So, I'm seeing a lot of reference to those artists in some of these popstars [and] in some of the great music they're making too," she said.

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John and Carlile will release a joint album, 'Who Believes In Angels?', in April 2025.

The album's title track and music video debuted and were released last week.

"It's one of the best things I have ever done, and she's ever done," John said in a video shared on Instagram.

His fans have praised him for giving props to younger artists.

"Love how he loves new music and artists; he’s a true music fan. A lot of the older artists should take a lead out of his book when it comes [to] being open-minded about modern artists instead of slagging them off out of jealousy," one person commented.

"I just love how EJ always gives shout outs and support to others whether they are established or relative newcomers! It definitely has been a fantastic year for new pop music," another fan said.

A third wrote: "Elton is a true music lover, I love the way he appreciates new talent and constantly talks about it! Huge respect for Sir Elton!!"

Check out the music video for John and Carlile's new song below.