Chappell Roan has thanked Sir Elton John for allowing her to become an artist.
Before their duet of her hit track ‘Pink Pony Club’, the pop sensation – who is a lesbian – choked up on stage alongside the 77-year-old music legend at his annual Academy Awards viewing bash on Sunday (02.03.25) when she said how important he was to the LGBTQ+ community.
She is quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: “You’re the best, baby. I love you so much. Thank you for doing this.
“You have sacrificed so much for the queer community, and you made it so I could be the artist I can be.”
The 27-year-old star, who scooped up two BRIT Awards on Saturday (01.03.25) – International Song of the Year for ‘Good Luck, Babe’ and International Artist of the Year – also paid tribute to her parents Dwight and Kara Amstutz for introducing her to the ‘Rocket Man’.
Chappell – whose real name is Kayleigh Rose – said before she covered his 1970 hit ‘Your Song’: “I’m going to sing a song that’s one of my favourite songs of all time. I think it’s like, I don’t know, maybe the best song of all time.
“I dedicate it to my parents because they introduced me to Elton John, so I would not even be here were it not for them, and, obviously, Elton, this is your song.
“It’s kind of scary singing it in front of the person who wrote it and sang it.”
Elton – who is married to filmmaker and ex-advertising executive David Furnish – named Chappell as “one of the biggest stars in the world right now, quite rightly so”.
He added at the event – which was held in West Hollywood next to the Abbey – raised money for his AIDS Foundation: “[I] just freaked out [when I heard her music.]
“I immediately wanted to get her on the program, and she came on the program and I interviewed her and I fell in love with her and I fell in love with the album. I’ve continued to be her friend hopefully and speak to her quite a lot.”
Elton added: “[She is] one of the biggest stars in the world right now, quite rightly so. [She] not only speaks with her voice on stage, she speaks with her voice off stage in a voice candid and wonderful way …”