The inspiration for John Legend’s new album came on his day off – when he was in father mode, taking care of his third youngest of four children, his daughter Esti.
On the piano, he played one of their favorite songs – the viral “Purple Monkey Song” by Fisher-Price Toys, which has captivated babies and millennial parents alike. Technically, the song is called “Maybe,” and Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen posted a clip of him singing it on social media, and people loved it. “Now I need a whole album of this!” actress Bresha Webb wrote in the comments section. Even Fisher-Price chimed in: “Are we hearing… a collaboration?”
How it works My favorite dream was born. The album, created for children and their families and inspired by Legend’s own family, will be released on August 30th.
“That got the ball rolling,” says Legend THR about putting his “Maybe” cover online, “and without that, maybe this album wouldn’t exist.”
Legend’s children’s album, My favorite dreamwill be released on August 30th.
Ten of the project’s 15 tracks are originals, and there are three bonus songs from Fisher-Price. Grammy and Oscar-nominated musician Sufjan Stevens produced the album, which features little John on the cover photo shot by his aunt Patricia Lloyd. Family plays a big role on the album: Legend’s daughter Luna, 8, designed the single’s artwork, and “LOVE” features vocals from Teigen, Luna and 6-year-old Miles.
My favorite dream will be released on Republic Records: Kids & Family, the children’s division of the Universal Music Group label, which was founded in 2022. Legend says the album is full of “the messages that we constantly tell our children, that we want them to remember and that we want them to cherish.” He adds that sonically, the music is intended for both children and parents and he wanted it to “feel like we’re in a magical movie with fantasy aspects and dream sequences and energy and fun and light.”
Most of your family members sing along to “LOVE.” What was the energy like in the studio?
I told Sufjan I wanted to do this, and he sent me a voice message with some ideas of what their part could be. I said, “Chrissy, Luna, Miles, come to the studio. I want you to sing.” And they said, “What?” And I said, “It’s going to be so easy. It’s going to be so much fun. You’re going to love it.” And it was. The song is really a love fest. It’s like a celebration of love, and I see it almost as a model for how I want to live and how I want my kids to live. And the light that you see in people who are full of love – I want them to be that kind of person.
Do you feel that your children are excited about musicality?
Luna has practiced the piano more than anyone else. Miles loves music. He’s always picking songs and playing them on his iPad. So he’s very into music and appreciates music a lot. But I get the impression that Luna enjoys making music more. She was in the school musical and sings along at the top of her lungs in the car.
Did they introduce you to different songs or artists?
Oh yeah, all the time. They hear stuff at school like, “Oh, have you heard the new Tate McRae or the new Blackpink or the new whatever?” A lot of their friends are Swifties too, so they absorb a lot. We try to influence them. Mom and I try to play them Beyoncé and Rihanna and Mariah and Ariana Grande. And in between all that, they soak it all up. Miles prefers to listen to male voices, so he’s into dad and Usher.
When I heard “When I Feel Sad” I wondered if you play it for your children when they are not feeling particularly well?
Yes. “Always Come Back” is the song that touched Luna and Miles the most because it helps them cope with my leaving because they are 6 and 8 and they miss me when I’m gone. They miss mom when she’s gone and it’s really comforting to have that song with them. And you can see it in Luna and Miles’ faces that they really feel the comfort of the song because they know we’re coming back and that our love is always there for them.
Why did you decide to work with Sufjan on this album?
I wanted the album to be dreamy, whimsical, and playful. And I’ve been a fan of Sufjan for about 20 years, and he was the first person I thought of. The cool thing about him is that he goes way beyond even my imagination. It’s always more creative, more interesting, more fantastical than I could have ever imagined. I kept telling him, “I’m so glad you said yes,” because I didn’t know if he wanted to do the kids’ album with me. I said, “Your vision and your musical style and your signature style is exactly what I wanted for this album.” His stuff makes you feel like you’re transported to this ethereal place.
You visited the Olympic Games with your family. What did you like most?
What I love about the American team is their diversity, and it shows how beautiful this country is. We have people who have come from all over to live here and do their best, and you see that when you look at the gymnastics team and you see a Dominican girl, an Asian girl, a black girl, a white girl, all on the same team representing this beautiful country that we all live in together. And I think that’s the best thing about America. And the Olympics remind us of that. This is America. This is who we are. And some people don’t like that about America and they want to take us back to another time. But I think that’s what makes America so cool and beautiful. And hopefully we can continue to celebrate that.
It is the 20th anniversary of your debut album, Let yourself be lifted. How do you feel about it?
(The time has) allowed me to really reflect on and enjoy the whole journey and how grateful I am for every step, even the things that didn’t work out the way I wanted. In the end, everything worked out. Let yourself be lifted really represents the roots of my career, represents all the work that I did, trying to get a record deal, my upbringing in the church and so much about who I am. And working with Kanye and working with hip-hop producers, all of that really laid the foundation for everything I did after that. We’re going to celebrate that this year.
This story first appeared in the August 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
