Variety names Elton John and Dua Lipa ‘Hitmakers of the Year’
Variety has proclaimed Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa as their 2022 ‘Hitmakers of the Year’ for their celebrated collaboration on “Cold Heart.”
The entertainment magazine announced all of their 2022 honorees for their sixth annual Hitmakers celebration in its November 30 issue. The event looks back at the year in music and recognizes the contributions of the writers, producers, publishers and managers who helped create the 25 most listened to songs of the year, as measured by Luminate. The prestigious event culminates with an invitation-only brunch for honorees and industry insiders on December 3.
In addition to Elton and Dua, other queer icons are being recognized for their musical contributions by Variety as well including Kim Petras and Sam Smith as Innovators of the Year for their collaboration on “Unholy”, Omar Apollo with the Future Icon Award and Lizzo for Record of the Year for “About Damn Time.”
Since ‘Hitmaker of the Year’ is Variety’s highest honor, “The Rocket Man” himself appears alongside the “Levitating” pop sensation on their latest cover, on newsstands now. The issue features an interview with the superstars that took place the day after the pair performed “Cold Heart” together for the first time ever at Elton’s final farewell performance in the US, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
“When we recorded ‘Cold Heart,’ we had no idea of the life it would have — what a privilege for that first performance to be at his final show in North America,” Dua said to Variety. “I could have never imagined a night like this — it reminded me to never stop dreaming.”
Elton was equally complimentary of the young songstress saying: “I adore her. She is incredibly talented — absolutely brilliant — and so professional. It’s a pleasure to be around someone who is so young, has done so much already and is so humble. She is also great fun, and we get on like a house on fire.”
While “Cold Heart” is officially called a remix, it is actually more of a reinvention as it combines the chorus from “Rocket Man” with verses from “Sacrifice,” and elements from 1983’s “Kiss the Bride” and 1976’s “Where’s the Shoorah?” The song was fused together by the Australian trio PNAU who gave a similar reinvention to dozens of tracks from Elton’s discography on the 2012 U.K. chart-topping Good Morning to the Night album.
The runaway success of “Cold Heart” of course inspired “Hold Me Closer” which Elton released earlier this year with Britney Spears, marking her return to the music industry after the end of her conservatorship. Similarly, the song combined elements of songs from Elton’s back catalog including “Tiny Dancer”, “The One” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.
As for what’s next, Elton will continue on with his massive “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” Tour and Dua is hard at work on her third album.
