LONDON — Lola Young’s song did not reach No. 1 on the charts, but the British singer-songwriter received a new house—at least temporarily—thanks to a bet with Elton John.
In a video posted to social media, John, the longtime music icon, handed Young the keys to his house after losing a wager on the chart performance of Young’s track “Dealer.” “I’m here with Lola, and I said, ‘Lola, if your single didn’t get to No. 1…that I would give you the keys to my house,’” John said in the video, referencing Young’s song “Dealer.”
Standing next to John, Young replied, “Yeah, I know, I’ve been waiting.”
John, who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, then asked if he and his husband, David Furnish, could still sleep over occasionally. Young responded, “No, sorry, it’s mine now.”
“Me and my big mouth,” John said, before both artists laughed.
Young captioned the video, “Since ‘D£aler’ isn’t no. 1 yet, @eltonjohn had to give me his house (as promised). I’m sure this is the last time he’ll make a bet … Thanks @eltonjohn, love ya.”
John later commented, “Thanks for letting us sleep over every now and then, @lolayounggg!”
“Dealer” appears on Young’s new album, “I’m Only F–king Myself,” released Sept. 19 by Island Records. The album also features “One Thing,” which reached No. 20 on the U.K. Songs chart and No. 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
Although “Dealer” has not reached No. 1, John previously praised the track during a July interview with Young on his Apple Music show, Rocket Hour—the same conversation where the bet was made.
“It’s unbelievable,” John said of “Dealer.” “It’s the biggest smash I’ve heard in years. I just can’t tell you how proud of you I am, because I know what you’ve been through, and you’ve come out of it on the other side. You’re going to have the best career.”
