John Legend‘s choice to have acclaimed singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens produce his new kids album appeared to some to come out of left field; but in a new interview, Stevens is explaining why it all makes sense.
Talking to the L.A. Times ahead of the release of My Favorite Dream, Stevens said that the recent death of his partner, along with his own health issues, had taken him away from music for some time. But with a family-friendly project like Legend’s, he was able to ease back into creating without any major pressures.
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“One of the main reasons I decided to do John’s album is because I hadn’t been able to really work on anything outside of self-care and rehabilitation,” he said. “I finally wanted to get back to work, but I didn’t really have the mental capacity to write my own music. This stuff felt wholesome and pure and safe.”
He also loved that despite the project being geared toward children, it comes with a message that resonates at any age.
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“I think there’s also a general apocalyptic anxiety that pervades a lot of our culture today,” he added. “What I love about these songs is that they focus on the kinds of aphorisms that speak directly to our fears and worries. You don’t have to be a kid to appreciate what he’s singing about.”
Released on Friday (August 30), My Favorite Dream features original songs, as well as covers including “You Are My Sunshine” and Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”
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In other news, John Legend recently paid tribute to his wife Chrissy Teigen and their two youngest children with some brand new ink.
The R&B singer took to Instagram on Tuesday (August 27) to show off a new tattoo on his inner bicep dedicated to his longtime partner and their youngest kids, daughter Esti and son Wren.
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“I don’t have much ink on my body. My first tattoo was ‘chrissylunamiles’ in a subtle heart-monitor-like cursive on my right arm to honor my growing family,” he wrote in the caption, referencing the couple’s oldest children, daughter Luna and son Miles.
“So I asked @winterstone to come back and mirror it with the new babies. Presenting ‘chrissyestiwren’ for the left arm. If you zoom/squint/get reading glasses you can see it [crying face emoji].”
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Teigen reacted to her husband’s fresh ink in the comments section and seemingly approved, writing: “Wait TWO CHRISSYS!!!!!! [crying face emojis].”
Legend and Teigen welcomed Luna in April 2016 before the model gave birth to Miles two years later.
The couple suffered tragedy in 2020 when they lost their third child while Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant. She was initially believed to have miscarried but she later revealed that she was forced to have a life-saving abortion.
They had already decided to call the baby boy Jack, with Legend honoring the late child with a tattoo of his name on his wrist.
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Following the heartbreak, Esti arrived via surrogate in January 2023 before she and her siblings were joined by Wren five months later, also via surrogate.
