Chappell Roan gushes to Elton John on stage: ‘You sacrificed so much for the queer community’
Roan can be heard telling the 'Tiny Dancer' singer: "You made it so I can be the artist I can be - thank you so much"
By Gary Grimes
Chappell Roan and Elton John shared the stage on Sunday night at Elton’s annual Oscar viewing party in Los Angeles for a performance of Roan’s smash hit ‘Pink Pony Club’, with Roan taking a moment to express her gratitude to the legend before singing.
In a video from the venue, Roan can be seen presenting Elton with a diamonté encrusted pink cowboy hat, before addressing the star to say: “Thank you for believing in ‘Pink Pony Club.’ He played it first, y’all!”
“I’m so grateful that you have me here, and it’s such an important…” the ‘Good Luck Babe!’ singer went on before getting visibly choked up, with John jumping in to say: “You’re the best baby, I love you so much. Thank you so much for doing this.”
Chappell Roan honors Elton John before a duet of “Pink Pony Club” at Oscars after party:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 3, 2025
“Thank you for believing in ‘Pink Pony Club.’ He played it first y’all.” pic.twitter.com/zyL7QZJGOj
“You have sacrificed so much for the queer community. You made it so I can be the artist I can be,” she went on. “Thank you so much.”
Roan has previously spoken about her relationship with the ‘Rocket Man’ singer, speaking to TIME at the end of last year after Elton was named Icon of The Year by publication. She explained that John had offered her advice as she readies her highly anticipated sophomore album. “The advice he gave me was that the songs will come,” she said.
Elton John joins Chappell Roan on the stage to perform 'Pink Pony Club' at his AIDS Foundation #Oscars after party pic.twitter.com/hZucbxCXgP
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 3, 2025
“He thought that he wouldn’t have the ideas, but they were absolutely there. He just had to let them come to him. So that’s a good reminder.”
The pair’s performance comes off the back of Roan’s success at the GRAMMY Awards which saw her take home the trophy for Best New Artist.
Elton is currently gearing up to release his upcoming collaborative album with Brandi Carlile. The album, entitled Who Believes In Angels?, is due to drop on 4 April.
“This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life, ” Elton said of the project. “It has given me a place where I know I can move forward.”