KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Prince Tribute: John Legend and Sheila E. honored Prince with a performance at the Democratic National Convention, but their guitarist unexpectedly stole the show.
- Celebrity advertising: Legend has publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, highlighting her commitment to improving people’s lives.
- Maren Morris’ advocacy: Maren Morris sang her song “Better Than We Found It” and reiterated her support for LGBTQ+ rights while denouncing the bias of the country music industry.
At the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, John Legend and Sheila E. sang a tribute to Prince, one of Minnesota’s most famous artists, before vice presidential candidate and Governor Tim Walz joined them on stage.
Before Walz took the stage to accept his party’s choice for vice president, the singer performed a concert in memory of the late legend. In addition, the show was a tribute to Walz’s home state of Minnesota, where he rose from high school football coach to become the state’s governor.
However, Internet users on X (formerly Twitter) felt that the guitarist accompanying John and Sheila completely overshadowed the two artists.
In an interview with CBS Mornings on Wednesday, Legend endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. He said, “I think she also has the right character traits to be a great president, which is she cares about people’s lives, wants the government to work for people and make their lives better.” He is the latest celebrity to endorse the presidential candidate, following in the footsteps of Charli XCX, Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Kerry Washington.
However, his guitarist gained more fans during the show than his performance, judging by the reactions on social media, with one person even trying to get the guitarist to compete for 2028.
Grammy-winning country singer Maren Morris, a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and gender-equitable healthcare, also performed Wednesday night, singing her 2020 song “Better Than We Found It.” The “Bones” singer criticized transphobic comments made by Brittany Aldean, wife of country music star Jason Aldean, in 2022. Morris also apologized on behalf of the country music industry for its bias against LGBTQ+ people during an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race in January 2023. During Variety’s Hitmakers event in December, Morris accepted the Changemaker Award and spoke candidly about the male-dominated, “deeply fractured” genre, saying, “Even as I stand here today, not a single female solo artist has been in the top 20 of the Country Airplay charts in the last two weeks.”
