John Legend’s giving us a new muse to obsess over. Mr. Legend has a new album out. And with Pharrell in the mix, it’s not your ordinary collab. Deco’s got the lowdown on why partnering with some of the greats can turn into music to our ears.
John Legend is giving fans a new reason to hit repeat.
The Grammy-winning singer is back with a fresh album, “Muse.”
John Legend: “I really want every project to be my best project, every album to be my best album. That means continuing to push myself, continuing to challenge myself, and not resting on all the work I’ve done before.”
And just like before, John’s bringing some serious star power into the studio. But this time, Pharrell is taking over.
John Legend: “Working with Pharrell on an entire album was something new for me. One of the things that he encouraged me to do on specific songs was to talk. Like in ‘Fireflies,’ some of the delivery of the verses of the song is more like I’m orating, like I’m speaking, rather than like I’m singing a melody.”
Working with hip-hop legends is nothing new for Legend.
John Legend: “Hip-hop was always a part of my own music-making. When you listen to my albums, I’m often working with hip-hop producers like Kanye. I think a lot of people know it and they acknowledge it to me. I mean, Jay-Z one time came up to me and said, ‘You’re our voice.’ I’ve been on his albums, I’ve been on Kanye albums, obviously, a lot of Rick Ross records. And I think a lot of hip-hop fans know that these emcees bring me onto a song when they think that I’ll add something special to it.”
John’s also adding his special musical sauce into Broadway’s “Imitation of Life.”
John Legend: “I’m writing for Broadway now. What we found interesting was the challenge of writing it as Black creatives and centering the Black woman, Delilah, at the heart of our storytelling in a way where she was never centered before.”
For John, expanding his talents is key to growth.
John Legend: “Just finding new creative avenues to continue to just throw some more challenges into the mix and seeing what it inspires in my creativity.”
