Jacob Lusk of Gabriels discusses playing Glastonbury with Elton John and growing up queer in Compton

Before recounting what it was like to perform on stage with Elton John during his final ever UK show at Glastonbury 2023, Lusk described his experience trying to watch Lil Nas X from side of stage, explaining that the festival encourages artists to get in the thick of it all.

"There's not a VIP section down front. Lil Nas X was on before Elton John and I wanted to see Lil Nas X and they were like, Well you got to get in the crowd with everybody else buddy,' And I was like, 'No, but I'm going to be on the Pyramid Stage in a minute. I have the pyramid pass and everything'," yet they still said no to him. Rather than be annoyed at the situation, Lusk described it as "beautiful".

Noting that he had never really sung "Are You Ready For Love" before – which he sang with Elton John alongside the London Community Gospel Choir – Lusk explains that the experience was a blur and "feels like a dream, like it really didn't happen."

He added that it still doesn't feel real as he wasn't able to see John after the performance: "usually after Elton's shows, I'll like get to see him afterward, but this time they whisked him off right after he finished his set".

Elton John performing 'Are You Ready For Love?’ live at Glastonbury with Jacob Lusk 🙌#Glastonbury #Glastonbury23 #EltonJohn pic.twitter.com/g9DUNlHMLi

— Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMag) June 25, 2023

Elsewhere in the conversation, Hattie Collins and Jacob Lusk discussed his experience of growing up in Compton as something that motivated him to push himself further, rather than hold himself back.

"My sexuality was never really a big part of it like that, believe it or not. It still isn't. I never made that my focus and I still don't. I mean I talk about it a little more openly now I guess. But I just wanted to be successful," he said, noting that he didn't grow up in a household where marriage was forced upon him even though he was very religious.

"It was never like, you going to get married, you going to have five kids. That never happened in my house, thank God. It was, you're going to go to college, you're going to be a doctor. I'd like to wear different clothes and always dress differently. My mom always let me express myself. I was never told I wasn't good enough. I didn't have that. It was quite the opposite. I was always told I was great. Maybe I was too beautiful. Who do I think I was? And not in a bad way, in a very encouraging way. I was taught that whatever I set my mind to, I could do."