Popsugar Entertainment Award Season Watch Elton John's iHeartRadio Awards 2021 Icon Tribute Demi Lovato, Brandi Carlile, and H.E.R. Fully Embodied Elton John With Their Iconic Tribute 28 May 2021 by Grayson Gilcrease Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter Demi Lovato, Brandi Carlile, and H.E.R. paid tribute to Elton John during Thursday night's iHeartRadio Music Awards, and the legendary singer himself imparted a few words of wisdom prior to the performance. "Relax, I'm so glad and appreciative that they're doing it," John said in a pre-show interview with Elvis Duran. After all, they were each handpicked by John for the performance. H.E.R. kicked things off playing piano and guitar for "Bennie and the Jets," even getting a reaction out of John who could be seen yelling, "YES!" Carlile then mellowed things out with fan-favourite "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Finally, Lovato gave it their all and got John to join in for "I'm Still Standing." Coldplay's Chris Martin introduced the medley in a purposefully chaotic speech about John and his well-known songs, namely "Uptown Girl" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You." (In case you're wondering, that was a joke "made" by the teleprompter operator since Billy Joel sang "Uptown Girl" and Stevie Wonder sang "I Just Called to Say I Love You.") Following the performance, Lil Nas X also honoured John, describing him as a "trailblazer to those who live their lives freely and unapologetically." John returned the compliment in his acceptance speech, saying, "A special thanks to Lil Nas X, because he is a wonderful artist and has balls of steel!" You can see highlights from the tribute performance and John's speech ahead. Related: Demi Lovato Debuted an Edgy Mullet Haircut at the iHeartRadio Awards, and We're Obsessed H.E.R. performs "Benny And The Jets"A 𝗷𝗮𝘄-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 cover of "Benny And The Jets" by HER Music in honor of Elton John! 😮 I think The Rocket Man approves. 👏 #iHeartAwards2021Posted by iHeartRadio on Thursday, May 27, 2021 1 / 17 Demi Lovato honors Elton JohnAwwwww you can't help but smile watching Demi Lovato's tribute to Elton John! ☺️ #iHeartAwards2021Posted by iHeartRadio on Thursday, May 27, 2021 2 / 17 Elton John accepts Icon AwardElton John even gives iconic acceptance speeches. ✨ Congrats again on the #iHeartAwards2021 win, Elton!Posted by iHeartRadio on Thursday, May 27, 2021 3 / 17 Chris Martin's speech for Elton JohnChris Martin's got jokes! 🤣 His speech honoring the icon Elton John is a must-watch! #iHeartAwards2021Posted by iHeartRadio on Thursday, May 27, 2021 4 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 5 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 6 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 7 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 8 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur 9 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 10 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 11 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur 12 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 13 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur 14 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 15 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur 16 / 17 Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter 17 / 17 Award SeasonLil Nas XBrandi CarlileH.E.R.IHeartRadio Music AwardsDemi LovatoMusicElton John