Pop sensation Sam Fender has told how Elton John nursed him back to health at his lowest ebb.
The North Shields singer-songwriter has taken the music world by storm – winning Brit Awards and appearing on the Glastonbury main stage.
Although he’s riding high now, Sam struggled with fame after winning his first Brit gong in 2019.
And he revealed Elton and his husband David Furnish had been vital in helping him cope with success.
Sam said: “Elton has been so incredibly kind and caring.
“He found our music before we [his band] signed a deal.
“It was encouraging to have endorsement at such an early stage. I stayed at their house in Windsor when I was going through a pretty rough time mentally.
“They really looked after me and helped me understand the world I was walking into.
“Because my life in the last four years...I have gone from being on welfare with my mother to winning Brit Awards and two number one albums.
“It was quite a lot to take in.
“They have been incredible for that sort of stuff. He is the ally that every young musician coming into this crazy career deserves.”
During his time at Elton’s house, Sam stayed up boozing while sober Elton was on soft drinks.
He said: “We stayed up until four in the morning once. He doesn’t drink so I was progressively getting more drunk.
“But he is stone cold sober partying on non-alcohol cocktails.
“We sat at the kitchen table playing tunes we listened to.
“He is like an encyclopedia and he introduced me to four artists that I now like.
“Once he knows you like something, you go back home and within two days a courier turns up with 17 vinyls.
“Half of my library is stuff Elton played in the kitchen. He is just a hero of mine.”
Much of Sam’s songwriting success has been channelled through the pain of his tumultuous childhood and adolescence.
Abandoned by his mum at the age of eight before moving back in with her after being forced out of his dad’s house by his stepmother, he still undergoes therapy for the trauma.
But the 28-year-old says writing music is his best outlet rather than speaking about his experiences.
Even today he has his wobbles but “surrogate dad” Elton has been at his side guiding him on the way to success.
He said: “I feel like the therapy opened up a wealth of stuff to write about and has since been a catalyst.
“There is still so much stuff I haven’t really covered. I don’t particularly like doing it. I have to really force myself to go, because a lot of the time I am like, ‘I do not want to do this’.
“You go do it and sit there for the rest of the day thinking about stuff you do not want to think about.
“It is easier to deflect. It would not be worth it if it was easy.”
