SONGWRITING PARTNERSHIP AT HEART OF BIOPIC

Gabrielle Q. Your songs are timeless.

Do you consider yourself a soul or pop artist?

I like that people think highly of me as a soul singer, but I’ve never thought of myself as a soul singer.

If you think of my songs like Out Of Reach or Sunshine, they’re so far from soul. The new single Shine is not a soul song. Dreams is not a soul song. Soul is fantastic, but there are many better singers that do it.

Q. You famously sang with East 17 but I hear you were nervous of doing duets.

In the past I was always scared of these things. I’d be like, ‘No, I can’t. They’re too good. They’re too cool for me’.

But now if someone is up for something that I think can work, then I’d be happy to do it. I did a thing with Naughty Boy and that was phenomenal, so now my attitude is never say never. I’m becoming less scared.

would Q. Which begs the question: who you like to work with next, then?

There are so many different artists that I like. I like people like Little Mix. Rita Ora is fantastic. Anne-Marie is incredible. We could do a Lady Marmalade thing.

There are so many artists out there that I love, especially British artists, like James Arthur. We have so many great Brits here. It would be a great to do a collaborations album. Q. After the tour, will we see you at any festivals?

A. They’ve got Kylie Minogue this year but I would really like to do Glastonbury. That slot is the one I want. That’s probably my lifetime ambition to do that set. I remember seeing Dolly Parton and it was

amazing. Some time between now and my end of days, I want to do that. It would be so much fun.

They’ve had amazing artists who have been brilliant but I can be great, too. I’ve got some great songs that people can sing along to.

THE Elton John film Rocketman is a love story insists the actor playing him, Taron Egerton.

Reports this week suggested the movie will struggle to get a PG rating in America because of a gay love scene between the Welshman and Bodyguard star Richard Madden, who plays the singer’s ex-manager John Reid.

But Taron reckons there is a much more important love affair at the heart of the highly anticipated film.

The star said: “The most significant gay relationship in the film is Elton’s relationship with John Reid, but if there is a love story then it’s the love story between Elton John and Bernie Taupin and the incredible music they produced for the past 50 years. Bernie’s been the unsung hero of those songs we all know and love.”

I’ve had an early peek at Rocketman, which is co-produced by Elton’s husband David Furnish, and can confirm lyricist Taupin is warmly interpreted in what is often a wartsand-all portrayal of a music icon.

Taron agreed: “The movie begins with Elton marching into rehab in a bad way, sweaty and grinding his teeth.

“We learn his life, recounting through his experiences from this therapy room. And I think for someone like Elton to ‘show myself at my most vulnerable, my most broken’, that quality of bravery is quite unusual and right at the heart of what makes Rocketman so special.

“Elton gave me the licence to make him quite ugly at times and that was important to me. “This movie is primarily a celebration of Elton’s life and work with Bernie Taupin, but it’s also the story of somebody who wasn’t well, and that is what I found most interesting.” Director Dexter Fletcher, left, whose last project was Bohemian Rhapsody, insists Rocketman is no similar biopic.

He said: “I would describe it as a musical. That’s was our jumping-off point. Of course it’s based on a life of someone we all know – Elton’s career and rise to fame and the cost he paid for that. But musical fantasy is a great way to describe it.”

He’s not wrong – the fantastical song and dance numbers I witnessed in the 20-minute preview felt more like Grease than, say, 8 Mile.

Egerton is brilliant in the role, singing all the songs himself. He was so good that Elton said they are the best covers of his music he’s heard.

Taron laughed: “I spent time with the man. They say don’t meet your heroes. It’s not true with Elton John.

“This is a movie about a great, great songwriter, but it was always the mandate that we would re-imagine things and play with things.

“Elton has always been very supportive. He said, ‘I believe in you completely – go away and do it’.”

See Egerton become Rocketman from May 24.