"I was not in great shape" - Elton John recounts working with with Brandi Carlile on their joint album

Elton John, during an April 4 appearance at the premiere of Who Believes in Angels? Stories from the Edge of Creation, alongside Brandi Carlile, producer Andrew Watt, and songwriter Bernie Taupin in New York, reflected on the album collaboration.

Elton John and Brandi Carlile released their joint album Who Believes in Angels? on March 4. During the panel discussion, John mentioned that he was "not in good shape" while curating the album,

"When you're in a studio and trying to come to grips with the fact that you want to make a great record, you can't always predict what's going to happen. We went in with no songs. Four of us. No plan. Just thought, 'This os the meeting of the minds and the talent. Let's get on with it.' But unfortunately, I was not in great shape. I was tired. I was exhausted."

John then added,

"More than anything I had so much doubt about my ability to come through in what we needed to come throyh. And that led to a lot of agression and bad behavior. In a way, it was necessary for me to do that because I never had so much doubt and apprehension before I started the project."

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Brandi Carlile mentions she had a "hard time" connecting with Elton

While speaking to Morning Edition host A. Martinez at the premiere of their joint album, Brandi Carlile reflected on her friendship with Elton John. When Martinez quoted Brandi from the video and asked her what she meant by having a "hard time" connecting with Elton, the singer mentioned,

"But one of the main things that was happening was: he was wanting to call it a day. He didn't want to go and do the album. There were really sad things happening in the world, and he was thinking maybe it wasn't a good time."

At the time, Brandi mentioned that she and Bernie thought that Elton was "just having a moment of doubt and insecurity, but since she respected the singer so much, she noted that she wanted to "honor" his wish if he didn't want to work on the album back then.

While Elton John and Brandi Carlile released the album Who Believes in Angels on March 4, Who Believes in Angels? Stories from the Edge of Creation is scheduled to premiere on YouTube at 12 p.m. ET on April 5. The album has a thematic focus on the afterlife.