John Legend has tunes on his brain even during slumber. There are instances when the artist is immensely inspired, dreaming of fresh harmonies and ideas, subsequently waking up to capture them on his mobile before they vanish.
The unceasing, sometimes obsessive whirl of Legend’s inventiveness can likely be attributed to the fact that the 45-year-old has been crafting songs since childhood, consistently drawing motivation from the void and transforming it into the compositions forming his vast collection.
In the two decades since his initial album, Get Lifted, came out, Legend has frequently documented pivotal instances of his life through his music; his iconic track “All of Me,” dedicated to Chrissy Teigen, was launched a month prior to their Lake Como nuptials in 2013. Now the parent of four children under nine years old (the youngest being a boy named Wren, who arrived last summer), Legend is unmistakably a family-oriented individual—hence, his tenth studio album, fittingly named My Favorite Dream, centers on lullabies and tunes for the young ones. For Legend, the album was an opportunity to leave his unique mark on a typically overlooked music category.
With Sufjan Stevens involved as a producer, My Favorite Dream features jubilant original pieces and renditions of Fisher-Price melodies that many parents recognize all too well. Legend shared insights with Vogue about this endeavor and the enchantment of inventiveness—alongside his notable recent appearance at the Democratic National Convention.
Vogue: Besides tunes like “Rainbow Connection” or Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts pieces, serious composing and children’s music haven’t always blended…
John Legend: I don’t wish to undervalue those who create music for youngsters, as many invest considerable effort and thought into it. However, it’s accurate that not many prominent pop artists have produced a complete children’s record like this. But I wanted to approach it in the same way I would any other album, maintaining standards of musical excellence, sonic quality, and other criteria to which I hold any of my albums.