Though younger artists such as Shawn Mendes may not have even been born at the height of Elton John's hit-filled career, it's clear that John's legacy will have a lasting impact on generations of music to come.
At the upcoming "Elton John: I'm Still Standing — A GRAMMY Tribute" TV special on CBS, Mendes will join an all-star slate of other artists paying tribute to the GRAMMY winner. This is an honor Mendes is happy to participate in because John served as an inspiration when he was just a budding singer in school.
"The biggest thing for me was just he's fearless to be himself," Mendes said. "For me growing up, especially singing in school and stuff was very hard and to be doing that in school and to watch him and his confidence really made it easy for me."
During the TV special, Mendes will perform a version of John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with GRAMMY-nominated R&B singer SZA. The pair give a modern twist to John's classic duet recorded in 1976 with Kiki Dee. The track earned a GRAMMY nomination at the 19th GRAMMY Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus.
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Beyond the tall task of performing for the man himself, Mendes is impressed by the entire roster of artists inspired to pay tribute to the living legend.
"I was blown away when I figured out who was playing here; obviously I was honored to play with Elton," Mendes said. "All the other artists are people I've looked up to for years."
And as for how he's handling the pressure of such a monumental performance?
"[I'm] so nervous," Mendes said. "I'm still shaking right now."
"Elton John: I'm Still Standing — A GRAMMY Salute" will feature performances by some of music's biggest names, including Ed Sheeran, Alessia Cara, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Little Big Town, Chris Martin, Maren Morris, Sam Smith, and SZA.
Tune in April 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT for this two-hour concert special, only on CBS.
