Elton John Tears Up After Pushing Through 'Doubt' to Make New Album with Brandi Carlile: 'I Was a Nightmare'

Making an album together wasn't easy for Elton John and Brandi Carlile — but the result was worth it.

On Feb. 5, the two artists announced their upcoming collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels?, and released its title track alongside a trailer documenting the creative process, which saw John, 76, grow frustrated as he pushed through "doubt" in the studio.

In the video, John explained the album "came at the end of the most amazing year" following his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tour, and he was looking "to do something different" and not "coast" in his career.

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Carlile, a longtime fan of his, felt like a perfect collaborator. "When I met her I fell in love with her, and I just thought she had the most amazing voice. I knew I would find her inspiring, and I knew she would find me inspiring," said the "Rocket Man" singer.

"I wanted this album to be special, but you can’t guarantee when you go into the studio that something’s going to be special," continued John, who faced hardship throughout the process. "Reality is I was exhausted, I had a lot of doubt, and I was a nightmare — angry, I was tired, I was irritable."

He recalled "tension in the studio" throughout the making of Who Believes in Angels?, leading him to rip up a sheet of music while working with producer Andrew Watt and even threaten to go home.

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"Elton is prone to moments of insecurity, especially where the stakes are high," said Carlile in the trailer. "There were times where I thought, ‘Why does he want to do this? Why? Why is he going from Glastonbury to making an album with me?’"

Once John thought about the "other people involved" in the album, he chose not to "abandon" the project. "And the fog started to lift," he said. "Finally, we all started to flow."

While they didn't have an "easy" time making the album, Carlile described the ups and downs as "a place where such great music came from."

John looked to "challenge" himself and said Carlile "really pushed me."

She noted, "We made an album that I think is spectacular for all the ages. My life has been taking me to this album the whole time."

He agreed: "For me, it’s immaculate. This came out the way I wanted it to come out. This is one of the greatest musical experiences of my life."

Featuring songs led by each artist and lyricism from Bernie Taupin, Who Believes in Angels? is set for an April 4 release.

It's title track is a piano-forward duet with lyrics about reflecting on life: "What do you say we set the pleasantries aside? / Even the diamonds look like rocks to the untrainеd eye? / What does it cost to buy your soul back whеn you die? / What are the angels gonna do with you and I?"

The pair will promote the album with a one-night-only concert at the London Palladium on March 26.

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