Based on his Instagram posts, Elton John loves the Olympics. Plus, one of his business ventures, Rocket Sports, works with Olympic athletes on marketing endeavors, so it’s no surprise that the Rocket Man wants to keep the Olympic flame burning a little longer even though the Tokyo games just finished. John is the executive producer on the new Olympic Channel original series From the Top: Olympians and Rockstars.
The series, which pairs a top Olympic athlete with a musical artist, premieres Monday at Olympics.com with teenage skateboarding phenomenon Sky Brown and rising star Yungblud. In their three-part segment, the 13-year old bronze medalist provides Yungblud with skateboarding tips while he performs for her and gives her a guitar lesson. Four more pairings will roll out starting in December.
“There has long been an inextricable connection between music and sport, two worlds that often come together for cultural moments around the world,” John said in a statement. “With that in mind, I am thrilled to work with the Olympics to continue to inspire fans around the world and showcase the next generation of incredible talent, from the podium to the stage.”
The series, a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee and Rocket Sports, combines new interviews with archival footage to show how much athletes and artists at the tops of their game share in common.
“Musicians and athletes travel similar paths to achieve their greatness. Our goal in creating From the Top: Olympians and Rockstars is to inspire young fans around the globe to achieve their own success and make their own mark on the world,” Mark Parkman, Olympic Channel GM, said in a statement.
And it may even give artists some new fans: Consider Brown now a Yungblud enthusiast. “It was so much fun spending the day with Yungblud, I had the chance to teach him some skateboarding basics and then I got to see him perform,” she said. “It was SO cool! I loved teaming up with the Olympics to share my story and show girls around the world that they can do anything boys can do – they can even do it better!”
