Any BTS fan would be thrilled to hear the group use their name in a song, and Elton John is no exception.
In an interview on UK radio show The Official Big Top 40, John said he found it “very flattering” when he heard his name used in the opening verse of the band’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Permission to Dance.” “It was so cool to be name-checked by someone like BTS,” he said. “It does blow my mind but it’s because I love new, young music. That’s what inspires me.”
John went on, saying that along with BTS, younger artists rising up in the music industry make him think back to his own beginnings in the business. “I love the old music, but the new music, when you hear something great by someone new, like Holly Humberstone or The Kid LAROI or someone like that, you just think ‘God, I wish I could have done something like that when I was that young,’” he said.
It’s not the first time that John has interacted with “Permission to Dance”: Earlier this month, John decided to offer up his own, brief cover of the song. In a clip posted across his social media, John can be seen singing along to the song’s chorus, before offering up some gratitude. “Thanks BTS,” he said. “Love to the ARMY.”
Last week, John made his first appearance on the Hot 100 in 21 years with his Dua Lipa duet “Cold Heart” debuting at No. 81 on the chart dated Aug. 28.
