Elton John Organizes Whimsical Zoom Call With ‘The Lockdown Sessions’ Collaborators

Zoom has defined the modern work meeting and, as we head into the third year of a global pandemic, they’re no less dreadful than they were before — unless, of course, you’re Elton John. The musician has shared “Ultimate Zoom,” a whimsical virtual gathering of every collaborator from The Lockdown Sessions, his quarantine album that dropped earlier this year.

John kicks off the meeting as the screen fills up with some of the biggest names in music from Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Young Thug, and Stevie Nicks to Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, SG Lewis, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder, and more. They all take turns praising their collaborator, passing along congratulations for the record.

The eccentric collection of artists makes for an amusing meeting complete with the now-classic run-ins with foggy camera quality, speaking while muted, too-loud air conditioners and interrupting house guests. An off-camera Young Thug exclaims: “Yo, Elton, my Wi-Fi’s not working — can you see me?”

Missing from the call was The Lockdown Sessions‘ opening collaborator Ed Sheeran, who appears on “Merry Christmas.” After everyone’s dutifully selected “Leave Meeting” and it’s just John left, Sheeran rushes into the room to ask if he’s missed it. The playfully annoyed singer reminds him: “It’s supposed to be on Zoom.”

The lighthearted visual follows the release of the three-part Inside The Lockdown Sessions documentary, which goes behind the scenes of the record’s year-long creation process.

From Rolling Stone US.