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The singer details the eye-catching collaborations on ‘Darkness and Light,’ out now
John Legend is getting real.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Youve said your new album,Darkness and Light, is your most honest to date.
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
What are you opening up about that you havent before?
This is your first album since you married supermodel Chrissy Teigen in 2013.
How do you deal with fans who assume all your lyrics are about your personal life?
When musicians write about their newborn kids, the results can be adorably cheesy.
You seem to have a lot of concerns as a parent.
All the songs have that tension in themthats why I called itDarkness and Light.
I wanted them to be coexisting in the same record.
Youre seeking out love, but theres also pain and uncertainty around.
You were a vocal Hillary Clinton supporter.
What music or pop culture did you turn to after the election?
Not watching the news for a few days!
Penthouse Floor,your song with Chance the Rapper, struck me as a particular escapist song.
I think it really is.
We talked about different approaches he could take to the lyrics.
But part of the song is about escaping from your problems [without] ignoring the problems.
Its saying, Hey, these communities are being ignored and should be paid attention to.
It shouldnt only be when something blows up and the TV cameras are all there.
A lot of times theres suffering in silence.
You duet with Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard on the title track.
Do you have a blues-rock album in you somewhere?
It sounds almost like a dubstep song.
It has a hint of that.
It was just a matter of getting the band together to figure it out.
Its live instruments that sound like theyre more machine-produced.
We wanted to have a range of emotions with the album.
Im not one of those people who feel like I have to stick to one lane.
This your last record on Kanye Wests G.O.O.D.
What does that mean for you going forward?
Ive always worked with Kanye and been influenced by him, and I think that will continue.
I dont see any reason why we wouldnt work together.
Its just a different business arrangement now.
I signed with G.O.O.D.
Music in hopes that I would get a record deal and get exposure, and thats exactly what happened.
Im in a place now where i dont need that cosign to continue my career.
But its not like were having some crazy breakup.
Now that youre getting into theater, do you have your eye on EGOT status?
One of my producing partners says thats his goal for me.
[Laughs] But I dont think of it like that.
I just think, Well, what awesome things can we do?
My belief is that if you focus on quality, then the awards will take care of themselves.
