EJ: As a musician you have to bring the world together, that’s your job. I really believe that as a musician you travel and see it for yourself. Nowhere have I been treated badly. I mean, yes, I’ve played in Arab countries where people said, “You shouldn’t be here because you’re gay,” but the audience was great. I was so upset when the UK left Europe because you know, we need to come together rather than drift apart. I strongly believe in that. It was such a huge mistake.
RS: I haven’t actually traveled that much as this is my first record and I haven’t been able to tour on it. But my version of travel is social media. I get messages from people in Kuala Lumpur, from people in Turkey. I have fans who are LGBTQ in countries where it is illegal. It’s nice to know that the music resonates with people. And not necessarily people from the community or people I intended the song for, you know? That’s what I want to do. What they say about queering in a space is what I try to do with music by getting a little interest in areas other than heterosexual love. I feel the pressure of having to write straight love songs. Like, I just really can’t. I’ve tried.
EJ: Initially, my co-worker, Bernie Taupin, wrote songs that I knew were about women and I didn’t care. But when he found out who I was sexually, you can take any of our songs written after about 1974, and they can apply to a man or a woman. Because you know I’ll go on stage and sing, “Oh, Maria, I love you so much.” It would be great.
RS: Although you, Elton, are clearly so theatrical. Gaga, so theatrical. Writing songs is like a musical. I like Disney songs. I like theater songs. Songs that really convey a story and sometimes you have to make the decision to go that way. A lot of people don’t want it. They want to stay subtle.
EJ: Rina wrote a kind of musical spectacle with ‘Sawayama’. The album is fantastic when you hear it, but when you see it perform, it takes on a completely different dimension.
RS: I fantasize about it every day. It’s so dramatic. I don’t play stadiums, but I’m still going to do three outfit changes because the numbers do different personalities and I have to give each a different character. Some songs are choreographed. With “Chosen Family” I’m going to play acoustic guitar. I want it to be a moment with, you know, candles and lighters in the sky. And I want to talk to the public a little bit. Because it’s not about me. It’s how people feel, you know? I hate gigs where it’s all about the artist. That is so boring. I want people to feel connected. I want people to feel strong.