Sir Elton John is glad 'The X Factor' is "on the way out".

Speaking to ES Magazine, he said: "There's so much good music out there, much better than all the pop s**t they play on Radio 1. I never liked shows like 'The X Factor'; I'm glad they are on the way out."

Elton has always had a negative opinion of 'The X Factor' and banned his songs from being used on the show until 2010.

However, after he relented and let his music be performed by the acts he even went on to appear on the show, duetting with Gary Barlow on the 2013 finale.

Previously, he had branded the show "boring and brain crippling".

The 68-year-old musician has just released his 32nd studio album 'Wonderful Crazy Night' and he loves the creative freedom he now has as a legendary artist.

He said: "I like the creative process. If you make peace with the fact that you aren't going to sell millions of records any more, you can be more like Bob Dylan and do what the hell you want. I want to keep being inventive. I don't want to stop creating."

After being at the top of the music world for decades, Elton insists his main ambition in life now is to be the best dad he can to his two sons, Zachary, five, and Elijah, three, with his husband David Furnish.

He admitted: "'I hate being away from my kids. We FaceTime but it's not the same. They are wonders. OK, they beat the s**t out of one another - but they're brothers. I look forward to being closer to them, that is the way I want my future life to go. I want to give them a childhood they can love. And be a parent they will miss. I want to leave them a good place to live."

The full interview with Elton appears in this week's new-look issue of ES Magazine.