Who is Brandi Carlile? All about Elton John's collaborator after their SNL performance

Sir Elton John has been an inimitable force in the entertainment industry, his career has now spanned over 60 years. His music combined with his panache and flair for the theatrical have had a significant cultural impact and his discography speaks for itself; Sir Elton is an EGOT winner and has sold over 300 million records worldwide over the course of an unforgettable run.

Now that the “Crocodile Rock” singer is firmly on the back 9 of his career, he’s found himself in a reflective space while gearing up to release his upcoming collaborative album with Brandi Carlile. While they have had a relationship that has spanned almost two decades and see each other as family, her story is not as universally known as Elton’s. On the heels of their forthcoming project and an unforgettable two-song set from SNL's most recent episode, let’s get into some more information about Elton’s trusty partner in music and how Brandi Carlile became a central part of Elton’s journey.

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Brandi Carlile At a Glance

Brandi Carlile and Elton John are separated by several years and different backgrounds, but that has not prevented their friendship from thriving. The musicians first met in 2009 after Carlile wrote a letter to Sir Elton asking him to play a piano section on her song “Caroline”. In a December 2024 appearance on The Late Show Carlile detailed the experience.

“I wrote him a letter,” describing herself as a “massive, massive Elton John disciple from a young age. I asked him if he would come and play piano on one of my songs, and in true Elton fashion, he agreed to do that outrageous thing.”

Later, in an April 2025 appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Elton gave his side of the story.

“I knew who she was. I phoned her and I said, ‘Yeah, of course … if you can come to Las Vegas.’”

John continued,

“The minute she arrived in the studio, I fell in love with her. And I fell in love with her talent, her voice. But more than that, I fell in love with the person. We’ve become firm friends and we’re like family.”

In the same interview Carlile went on to credit Elton and his writing partner as her inspiration for pursuing music, with them being the only reason she “ever touched an instrument or wrote a song."

“I was so inspired by them from the time I was 11 years old. I went to the King County Library and I borrowed, kept, borrowed a CD called Here And There, it was like a live recording. The music changed my whole worldview. I’d only been, you know, allowed to really listen to country music up to that point and I discovered Elton in a book report [in 1991 or 1992] … I became a fanatic within three months. I had a Casio keyboard and I was determined to learn to write songs.”

Since then, Brandi has grown into a space where her music spans different genres and audiences, including folk-rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. Throughout her career, she has already received eleven Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and even an Academy Award nomination.

In an era of music marked by teardowns and feuds, it’s heartwarming to see two artists enjoying each other in a true collaborative space; hopefully, once their Who Believes in Angels? drop,s their fans will agree.