Overview
- Speaking in a November 30 PEOPLE interview, the Grammy‑winning producer offers a first‑hand account of sessions for Elton John’s April 2025 collaboration with Brandi Carlile.
- Watt says John is “a little more like Beethoven” when working and describes him as “extremely volatile” during composition.
- He outlines a process rooted in Bernie Taupin’s lyrics, with John placing words on the piano, envisioning a film scene, then scoring it and shaping melodies to the words’ phonetics.
- Managing the room was critical, Watt recalls, staying close yet out of John’s direct eye line because being seen mid‑writing felt like “the f---ing lion’s den.”
- Coming off his retirement tour, John was exhausted and self‑doubting, yet the team rallied around him and, in Watt’s words, “captured lightning in a bottle” making the album.