Sam Fender releases new song Talk To You with Elton John - one day after his Mercury Prize win

Sam Fender is on a never-ending roll; from his first album, Hypersonic Missiles, winning him the Critics’ Choice Award at the Brits back in 2019, all the way up to now winning the 2025 Mercury Prize (plus everything in between) - essentially, he’s a bona fide legend.

And to cement this status further, a day after winning the 2025 Mercury prize for his album People Watching, Sam Fender has released a new song with Elton John, entitled Talk to You.

The song is instantly recognisably Fender, with full-bodied guitar-led lyrics and melody. The track opens with Fender’s almost signature, paired-down Heartland rock style guitar with a layered piano riff in a nod to the more folk-y influence.

According to Fender, the song is about the end of a long relationship - about the regret, mistakes, and lessons that come with it.”

“It’s that feeling of losing your best friend and coming to terms with that. I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist, and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call? And of course, who better than Elton John,” Fender added in a statement - super casual, normal Tuesday stuff, ringing up one of the most iconic artists to come and play on your new track.

Elton John added: “Sam was writing and recording in a studio in west London, and called to say he’d written a song with a piano riff that he thought would sound great with me playing it. I couldn’t resist, and it was so much fun playing it for him. I truly love Sam. He’s been a friend for many, many years, and it’s incredible to see him grow into being a truly world-class artist.”

Whilst the addition of the piano riffs and inclusion of John himself nod to the influence he's had on Fender's music, we’re assuming the opening lyrics: “When my face has all changed from the cruelty of age” are not related to the 78-year-old Rocketman singer at all.

The song’s lyrics read better than a lot of chicklit and romantic films at the moment, opening with: “I'm always procrastinating / Evading the job of going through those boxes in the attic / As long as they're in the dark / There's a flickering spark we'd repair” in the first verse. The core of the song’s meaning about breakups especially comes through in the chorus with Fender singing “Just wanna talk to you / Wanna talk with my best friend / Wanna let go of everything that I carry / Wanna shoulder some of yours instead / I wanna hurt with you”. Basically, it should come with a trigger warning for anyone who is emotionally unstable thanks to a recent break-up, unless you want to be sobbing unexpectedly on the Tube.

The track is on the new deluxe edition of Fender’s LP, People Watching, which is set to be released on 5th December, and is already streaming on Spotify.

Fender beat competition from the likes of Pulp, CMAT and Fontaines DC to win the 2025 Mercury Prize. The judges praised the album’s “cohesion, character and ambition”, calling it: “melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of everyday life and the importance of community.” According to the judges, they are “thoughtful songs with broad appeal, as cinematic as they are intimate.” No disagreements here.

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