Musician Elton John has celebrated the fifth anniversary of Cold Heart, his hit UK number one collaborative track with pop singer Dua Lipa.
The track was released on August 13, 2021, serving as the lead single for John's collaborative studio album, The Lockdown Sessions. Marking the milestone, John described the occasion as five years of a wonderful friendship with Lipa.
John, a veteran English singer, songwriter, and pianist, is one of the most successful solo artists in global music history. Lipa, an award-winning British pop singer, emerged as one of the most prominent chart-topping performers of her generation following breakthrough releases in the late 2010s.
Creation of the mashup track
The composition of Cold Heart followed an unusual creative structure rather than being written as a brand new piece from scratch. The finished record is a mashup constructed from four classic songs from John's back catalog: Rocket Man, Sacrifice, Kiss The Bride, and Where's The Shoorah?
Production on the track was executed entirely by Pnau, an Australian electronic music trio. The group dismantled the original multi-track recordings and rebuilt them using vocal stems and melodies from all four songs to assemble a single unified composition.
The recording process took place during global isolation measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. John was forced to pause his ongoing world tour, titled Farewell Yellow Brick Road, and turned to remote recording and production to stay musically active during the lockdown.
The decision to feature Lipa on the track grew out of an earlier professional connection between the two artists. John had previously appeared as a special remote guest during Lipa's live-streamed virtual concert, Studio 2054, held in November 2020.
Chart records and streaming milestones
Following its release, Cold Heart achieved widespread commercial success and reached major statistical milestones across international music charts. The song climbed to number one on the UK Singles Chart in October 2021.
The UK chart victory made John the first solo artist in British music history to score at least one top 10 single across five consecutive decades. In the United States, the single reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, marking John's return to the American top 10 after more than 20 years.
The track reached the top spot on official charts in more than 12 nations, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, and New Zealand. By mid-2024, digital distribution services reported that total global streams for the single had surpassed 2 billion.
Animated stop motion music video
Ongoing public health restrictions and conflicting international work schedules prevented the singers from filming a traditional music video together in person. In place of live-action footage, producers released a 3D stop-motion animated video featuring caricature versions of John and Lipa.
The video placed the animated figures inside a surreal visual environment filled with vibrant colors and geometric forms modeled after classic 1970s discotheques.
Professional relationship and history
The partnership behind the single was built on several prior collaborations between the two musicians. In 2020, John interviewed Lipa on his Apple Music radio broadcast, Rocket Hour, before appearing in her Studio 2054 virtual performance later that year.
In 2021, Lipa served as the featured headline performer at the annual Academy Awards viewing gala, an event organized by the Elton John AIDS Foundation to raise funds for HIV prevention and care. The two artists eventually performed Cold Heart live together on stage for the first time in Los Angeles in November 2022.
John has praised Lipa during media interviews, calling her work highly professional and highlighting her artistic talent. Lipa has similarly praised John, referring to him on multiple occasions as a vital mentor during this era of her career.
