Elton John used an appearance on Dua Lipa's podcast in 2022 to champion a handful of emerging artists he felt deserved wider recognition, reflecting his long-standing habit of promoting younger musicians alongside his own storied career. Among his picks was St Paul and The Broken Bones, a soul band from Birmingham, Alabama, whom he singled out as "fantastic" and "incredible live" despite them being relatively unknown in Britain.

The band, formed in 2011 by vocalist Paul Janeway and bassist Jesse Phillips, recorded their debut EP without ever having played a live show, before their energetic performances turned them into festival regulars at events including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Glastonbury. John became a fan after hearing their 2014 album Half the City and personally invited them to perform at the Elton John Aids Foundation's 2017 Academy Awards viewing party, cementing his endorsement of a group he had championed from early on.