Sam Fender feels like Sir Elton John's "surrogate" son.
The 'Seventeen Going Under' hitmaker has formed a close bond with the 'Rocket Man' legend and his husband David Furnish, and he admitted the couple have "pulled [him] out of the mire" in the past.
He told the Metro newspaper's Guilty Pleasures column: "They're two people who were very, very supportive to me and have pulled me out of the mire a couple of times.
"Elton became a fan early on, before we really took off, then I went for dinner with them.
"They invited me over and I had a lush chat. They've, kind of, become like surrogate parents, honestly."
The 27-year-old singer revealed both Elton and his partner have been "incredible mentors" for him.
He added: "They have been the most fantastic role models and incredible mentors, both of them. David as well, not just Elton. I'm eternally grateful for that guidance and love and support."
Meanwhile, he described their sons Zachary, 11, and Elijah, nine, as "little brothers".
He said: "I've stayed with them a few times and they're brilliant."
Sam previously promised he would "definitely" collaborate with Elton in the future.
The 'Play God' rocker's packed schedule in 2021 meant he had to reject an offer to team up with the iconic musician on his 'Lockdown Sessions' album.
He explained: "It sounds awful to say, 'I was too busy to work with Elton', but I needed to finish my album.
"Me and Elton will definitely happen at some point. We just need to find time to get into the studio.
"We want to make something special together. I'd love us to make something stripped back, that sounds organic with a band."
The musician might have some more time on his hands as he admitted such an intense workload means he's already got material written for his third album.
He said: "That album was a tough labour. I wrote about 60 songs for it. Some of those songs will carry over to my next record, as I didn't finish all of them.
"I know that I'll look back at some of them and think, 'That's great! Why didn't that make 'Seventeen?'
"A hell of a lot of work went into that album but, about halfway through recording, we kept having moments of looking at each other and just giggling.
"That's when I thought, 'We've done something good here.' "
