"Elton has had many different impacts on my life," says Ed Sheeran, who performs Elton John's Candle in the Wind on I'm Still Standing - A Grammy Salute, which airs tonight on CBS.
"From youth it’s been getting me interested in music by listening to the songs, and teenage years getting me into songwriting by being influenced by the songs, and in adult life it’s sort of helping me charter this weird little music industry game -- helping me out basically." Sheeran said.
Sheeran has previously performed in Grammy tribute shows for The Beatles and Stevie Wonder. He was nervous for those shows but he was adamant that he was not anxious about this one.
"I feel fortunate enough to be able to call him (Elton) a friend, and I didn’t feel that nervous," Sheeran says. "It just felt like playing a song to a mate."
Two tribute albums to the music of Elton john and his lyrics writer Bernie Taupin, entitled Revamp and Restoration have just been released. Both albums feature artists as diverse as Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson, Mary J Blige and Emmylou Harris singing the Elton classics.
