View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

The talented pianist celebrated his birthday on 25th March whilst on the road for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Sir John has spoken on the personal importance which his Birthday held, “I’m not usually one to look back or get nostalgic, but 75 is such a milestone birthday. I’ll definitely find time today to take stock and thank my lucky stars for my wonderful family, friends and career. I feel unbelievably lucky that at 75 I still love what i do so much – I’m still so energised about music and excited I get to play, listen and talk about this every single day. Being back on the road is a blast and the thrill of playing live is as amazing as it was 50 years ago. I have so much to pass on to the new generation of fans and artists alike, and I’m determined to keep giving back to the industry that has given me so much.”

Consisting of the singer’s most popular singles, the forty-eight-track album celebrates Sir John’s long and influential career. The album charts the musician’s storied discography spanning between 1970-2016 and includes such hit singles as “Tiny Dancer”, “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” and “I’m Still Standing”. The newly re-worked release also includes “Your Song”, known as Sir John’s breakthrough song, the single was released in 1970 and taken from the singer’s second studio album.

The greatest hits album was originally released in 2017 on CD and Vinyl and was also released to celebrate a milestone, the compilation was produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sir John’s musical partnership with Bernie Taupin. The talented duo have been working together since 1967, the pair have been named the most successful creative partnership within the entertainment industry and were inducted into the Songwriters hall of Fame in 1992. Sir John and Taupin have accumulated a lengthy back catalogue including such hits as “Bernie and the Jets”, “Candle in the Wind”, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.

The music icon is known for more than his musical talent; Sir John is heralded for his extensive charity and philanthropy work, most notably The Elton John AIDS Foundation. The non-profit organisation was established by the musician in 1992 and 1993. The foundation has remained at the forefront within HIV and AIDS support programmes, providing education, prevention and aid in over fifty-five countries.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elton John AIDS Foundation (@ejaf)

This year the foundation will also celebrate an anniversary; the 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party will be taking place on 27th March 2022. Although Sir John will not be able to attend in person, the hitmaker will be joining the event via live satellite from his performance in Nebraska. The foundation’s website provides the following statement concerning the event, “Since we last saw one another, the Foundation has been hard at work in the most vulnerable communities around the world. With 2022 marking the 30th anniversary of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, we’ll be making up for lost time with a sparkling and unforgettable evening.”

Click here to stream Diamonds: The Ultimate Greatest Hits.

Spotify took to Instagram to celebrate the news; the post also invites users to share their experience with the song. The social media post also features a personal video from Sheeran, the singer shared how he is “Chuffed” to break and set the streaming record. The 30-year-old artist also refers to the news as “Absolutely Insane” and continued to discuss the track’s origin story. “ [‘Shape Of You’] Wasn’t really meant to make the album, but when I finished making the song, Ben Cook, from my label, said it had to be a single – but I wanted ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the single. We put both songs out at once and…I was wrong. Here we are with ‘Shape of You’ at 3 Billion.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spotify (@spotify)

Sheeran is no stranger to immense streaming success; the singer is also a member of the platform’s Billions Club. The hitmaker earned his place twice with singles “Happier” and “Galway Girl”, both tracks have reached over a billion streams. The Billions Club is an exclusive rank and playlist curated by Spotify based on the track’s streaming figures. The playlist also features tracks such as “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by grunge icons Nirvana and “Good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo.

This is not the only achievement that Sheeran has had within Spotify. The singer released his fourth studio album Equals earlier this year, the release garnered great success and reached the number spot within Spotify’s global and US top 10 album debut charts. Due to the album’s popularity, Spotify hosted a very special event in celebration of the release. The event included a traditional Sunday Roast and an intimate acoustic set by the singer.

The singer’s record-breaking single “Shape Of You” was released on 6th January 2017 and is often regarded as the catalyst to Sheeran’s worldwide popularity. The track was the lead single from his third studio album Divide and went on to win the singer various accolades. The song was nominated for British Single of the Year and British video of the year at the 2018 Brit awards. The track also won Sheeran a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2018 awards ceremony.

In more recent news, it was recently reported that Sheeran and musical partner Sir Elton John have joined the race for this year’s Christmas number one single. This year sees the two singers double their chances of winning the festive crown, both artists appear on two entries. Along with their recently released duet “Merry Christmas”, the duo also appears on former Christmas winner LadBaby’s new entry entitled “Sausage Rolls For Everyone”.

After only being available as an iTunes exclusive until 2016, the album became available as a limited-edition CD that could only be purchased on the bands website. As an early Christmas gift, the band selflessly made their holiday tunes public without any social-media announcement or incentives to promote their newest album, Imploding The Mirage.

Don’t Waste Your Wishes features 10 tracks. The most popular singles off the album include Joel The Lump of Coal, Dirty Sledding and the cover of I’ll Be Home For Christmas which features Ned Humphrey Hanson.

This year, the most powerful track goes to Christmas in LA, which is fitting for the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic as it deals with isolation and mental-health during the holiday season. Another single which is in keeping with the times would be ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!, featuring Wild Light and Mariachi el Bronx; it deals with politics surrounding boarder control.

There are many famous faces to appear in the music videos and in the recordings of these singles including Jimmy Kimmel, Elton John, Richard Dreyfuss and Owen Wilson. Many of the actors contributed by starring in the music video, like short films.

Christmas is nigh, Covid-19 continues to surge, but The Killers have released Don’t Waste Your Wishes at the very moment when joy and cheer are needed most throughout the UK. Nevertheless, fans can repay this early stocking-gift by ordering tickets for the upcoming The Killers tour in the spring and summer of 2021.

Don’t Waste Your Wishes Tracklist:

01. A Great Big Sled (feat. Toni Halliday)
02. Don’t Shoot Me Santa (feat. Ryan Pardey)
03. Joseph, Better You Than Me” (feat. Elton John and Neil Tennant)
04. ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! (feat. Wild Light and Mariachi el Bronx)
05. Boots
06. The Cowboys Christmas Ball
07. I Feel It in My Bones (feat. Ryan Pardey)
08. Christmas in L.A. (feat. Dawes)
09. Joel the Lump of Coal (feat. Jimmy Kimmel)
10. Dirt Sledding (feat. Ryan Pardey and Richard Dreyfus)
11. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (feat. Ned Humphrey Hansen)