Elton John’s Rocket Hour celebrates its 10th anniversary this Saturday with a milestone episode featuring special guests Olivia Dean, Blood Orange (Dev Hynes), Channel Tres and Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.
Since launching in 2015, Rocket Hour has consistently championed new music alongside classics and rarities from across the decades. The Apple Music 1 show is curated and presented by Elton John.
“Across 10 years, the show has celebrated creativity in all forms, from debut artists to global icons, with Elton at the helm of every playlist and every heartfelt conversation,” said a statement.
Across 446 episodes, Elton John has spotlighted more than 3,000 artists and 6,700 songs. He’s interviewed 212 special guests from his first, Brandon Flowers, to Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Noel Gallagher, Kacey Musgraves, Damon Albarn and the current generation of stars such as Sam Fender, Raye, Chappell Roan, Lola Young, Skye Newman, Sienna Spiro, Wet Leg and many more.
“You don’t give up on a young artist because the first album might not do well,” he said. “If I believe in them, I keep going. Seeing them flourish – it’s like watering a plant and seeing it blossom into something beautiful.”
Recorded at Apple’s new studios in Los Angeles, the 10th Anniversary episode sees Elton joined by Zane Lowe, who originally helped bring Rocket Hour to life.
Together, the pair reflect on a decade of discovery and the artists who have inspired them both.
“You are the spiritual North Star of Apple Music Radio,” Zane Lowe told the music icon. “You’ve given so many artists confidence to keep going – and given us confidence too.”
Elton John added: “Well, it keeps me alive and it just inspires me. I mean, I’m 78 years old and I’m still a working musician. Not working per se as touring, but I’m still making records and I’m still involved in music. And I’m not that interested in the old. I know it, but it’s the new stuff, and seeing people like Olivia Dean and Channel Tres and Blood Orange today come into the studio, and seeing how they’re doing and how far they’ve come, and how brilliant, and how their music has made me so happy. That’s fantastic.”
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