Chappell Roan and Elton John Perform Two Duets at The EJAF Oscar Party

February 2nd marked the day of the 2025 Oscars. While plenty of celebrities flocked to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to support their peers and maybe win their own awards, the main event wasn’t the only party held that night. Down in West Hollywood, Sir Elton John was hosting his annual viewing party at the Pacific Design Center in support of the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF). The attendees ranged from Fashion Designers to Actors, to Musicians, with notable names being Donatella Versace, Laufey, Joey Graceffa, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Among these guests was Chappell Roan, who not only attended the event, but was a performer as well. This comes as no shock, considering the two artists have run in the same circles since the release of Roan's debut album, The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess. Not only did Elton John have ‘Red Wine Supernova’ on the list of his Favourite Songs of 2023, but he and Roan have met up for dinners, and have been photographed together backstage during Roan’s 2023-2024 headlining tour. Elton John was one of the original Chappell Roan fans, a sentiment confirmed by Roan during her performance when she says “He played it first y’all” (referring to ‘Pink Pony Club’).

[ All Photos provided by @bennylftv on Twitter ]

Her setlist for the night contained fan favourites such as ‘Hot To Go’ and ‘Casual’, but also included a gorgeous cover of John’s track, ‘Your Song’, which Roan was nervous about considering she was playing it in front of the man himself. Towards the end of her set, Roan brought John on stage where the pair performed two duets. The first was to ‘Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ where John played a grand piano and led on vocals, as it originally was his song, and Roan provided backing vocals or sung a line here and there. From watching the two, you can tell that Roan has such admiration and respect for Elton John, and is savouring each moment of being on stage performing with him. 

In a sense, the two mirror each other, as both artists are influential to the queer music community and have a knack for this eclectic fashion. For Chappell Roan, Elton John was an artist who laid the foundations for the very music she creates today. His existence alone has inspired the acts of plenty other queer musicians and his contributions have revolutionalized not only queer-pop music, but the entire music scene in general. Similarly, Roan is this generation's Elton John, with her impact over just the course of the year being revolutionary for the same reasons. She’s continuing the legacy he began, and it feels like a full circle moment in a way. 

[ All Photos provided by @bennylftv on Twitter ]

The second duet they performed was ‘Pink Pony Club’. Roan had John sit on a chair in the middle of the stage before adorning him in a bedazzled pink cowboy hat, properly endoctornating him as a member of the Pink Pony Club. Prior to the performance, Roan gave a speech to honour everything John has done for the community, tearing up and nearly being unable to finish before launching into song. 

Roan then launched into the song, skipping around the stage as usual. John accompanied her in singing the chorus and mumbling in the verses before joining Roan dancing during the final stretch of the track. Despite the emotional moments that came only a few minutes prior, the two looked to have a lot of fun. However, they weren’t the only artists getting down to ‘Pink Pony Club’ as videos of Hozier, among others, have started to surface around TikTok and Twitter. 

You can watch the full video of Chappell Roan’s set above courtesy of BrianToPhoto.