Follow in the footsteps of Elton John? The two sons of the singer and her husband David Furnish are music lovers.
“Obviously, they’ve listened to a lot of music in their lives,” the 59-year-old director told Us Weekly on Sunday, March 27, at the 30th annual Elton John AIDS Academy Awards party. “They both love music.”
The Canadian native added that when it comes to a career in the same industry as 75-year-old John, their children – 11-year-old Zachary and 9-year-old Elijah – are still “just figuring out who they are.”
“All Elton and I are trying to do as parents is to show them as many things as possible and encourage them to be open-minded and follow in life what they love and what they are passionate about,” explained the former advertising manager. “This is the most important thing. You can’t tell your kids what to do.”
Furnish and the Grammy winner welcomed Zachary and Elijah in 2010 and 2013, respectively, and married in England in December 2014.
Becoming a father has given the songwriter “a deep sense of new perspective and greater appreciation,” Furnish said Sunday.
“[Our children gave him] a real desire… to get off the road, to devote all his energy to the family,” the University of Western Ontario graduate said of the native of England. “It was wonderful for us.”
John spoke to us in February 2019 about how to keep toddlers grounded, explaining that while “they know [their] dad is famous,” he intentionally “never brings [ing] Elton home.”
The composer explained: “I’m trying to keep Elton on stage. They love their dad’s music, but they also like the music of many other people. … When we leave in the summer, and people take pictures of us or ask to be photographed, they say: “Why do they need your picture?” And we always answer: “Because people like my music.”
The pianist, who announced his impending retirement in January 2018, told us that he plans to “take a breather” – although he could potentially consider a residence option “as soon as the dust settles.”
The “Rocket Man” singer said: “I’d like to make more records, I’d like to write more musicals, but I’d like to spend more time with my kids and David. …I simply owe it to these children to be close to them.”
