John Legend: ‘It was riskier for Taylor Swift to speak out about politics than it is for me’

Lest you think the whole “perfect couple” image cultivated by John Legend and Chrissy Teigen is an act, I have news for you: the second our interview is over, he’s already reaching for his phone, finger poised to ring her back on Facetime. He’s only just touched down in London for a whirlwind visit; in two days he’ll be reuniting with his wife of 11 years to celebrate their anniversary.

“We have to make time for each other,” the 45-year-old tells me of his relationship with the model turned TV personality and food writer. “I love a date night. And I love a little weekend getaway too.”

Of course he’s a romantic. Legend’s work – all nine albums of the stuff – has made him synonymous with a particular kind of syrupy, lovestruck easy listening . A lazy Sunday morning? Throw on “Ordinary People”. First dance at your wedding? What about “All of You”? But he’s also a bit more interesting than that: a man with opinions and stances, who speaks eloquently and passionately about politics, misogyny and social justice.

There are more facets still when one considers his eclectic CV (which would definitely take up more than the requisite two pages): songwriting, record producing, film producing, theatre directing and acting are all on the roll-call of accomplishments. He played the piano for Lauryn Hill and sang on Jay-Z and Alicia Keys tracks before his solo career took off; he’s dabbled in pop and funk, as well as his “home” genre of R&B; he’s even done the ubiquitous Christmas album and produced a Broadway show. Now, he’s aiming to conquer the world of children’s music.

“I’ve been singing to my kids since my first child, Luna, was born,” he reminisces. “We would sing while we were changing her diaper – we wrote a little ditty called the ‘Stinky Booty Song’…” Unsurprisingly for someone who has worked in the music industry for more than 20 years, Legend “surrounds” his children with music the same way he was immersed in it growing up: “that was always a big part of the way we interacted with each other.” Making a whole album for kids felt like a natural next step.

He enlisted the help of indie-folk darling Sufjan Stevens to produce My Favourite Dream . It’s comprised of nine original tracks penned by Legend, as well as two covers, “Three Little Birds” and “My Only Sunshine”. It truly is a family affair – as well as drawing inspiration from his four children, Luna (eight), Miles (six), Esti and Wren (both one), he roped in Teigen and the elder two to sing backing vocals on “L-O-V-E”. Luna even drew the illustrations that adorn the album cover: stars, moons and birds doodled in jaunty tangerine.

We don’t mind having a public life, and there are so many good things that come from it. We know that there are also bad things that come with it. We take the good with the bad

Was it fun working with his family, I ask, or (as I would imagine), a total nightmare? “Oh, it was fun! I only had them sing on one song, and the parts were pretty simple. They did a great job – it took us about 10 minutes.” But it’s unlikely we’re witnessing the emergence of a new Von Trapp family – “I don’t know if they’d want that!”

The resulting album is brimming with messages of reassurance – “All your little worries gonna be OK/ All of your troubles gonna melt away” starts the opening track, “Family” – delivered in Legend’s signature smooth baritone and accompanied by chirpy instrumentals and harmonies. Single and child-free, I’m clearly not the target market. Still, it’s a genuinely catchy album, full of earworms that stay with you (even when you’re 37 rather than seven). This, it transpires, was intentional. “I was always thinking about making something that everyone could listen to and enjoy,” says Legend. “My goal was to hold myself to the same musical standard that I would for any other album.”

Not only is this his first children’s album, it’s the first album he’s written entirely by himself – no co-writers involved – and the first time he’s written at home rather than in the studio. One gets the impression that, amid a fairly unrelenting schedule, making My Favourite Dream was a welcome respite – a chance to spend more quality time with his family. Is it hard being away from them when he’s on the road? “Oh yeah. I wrote a song about that, called ‘Always Come Back’, about having to leave them sometimes and reassuring them that I’ll always get back to them.” It’s Luna’s favourite, he tells me: “She’s the oldest, so she’s seen me leave the most.”

Legend and Teigen’s road to parenthood has famously been far from smooth. Their first attempt at IVF failed before both Luna and Miles were born via successful rounds. In 2020, they conceived naturally but tragically lost the baby, Jack, when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant. She initially announced that she had a miscarriage; two years later, she revealed that it had been a life-saving abortion, something she hadn’t realised at the time.

After that experience, the couple “were worried that she wouldn’t be able to have kids again,” says Legend. “That’s when we started looking for a surrogate.” The first surrogacy attempt didn’t work; the second was successful. In the meantime, Teigen had opted for a final shot at IVF, which also resulted in a successful pregnancy. She gave birth to Esti in January 2023 and, around five months later, Wren was born.

“It’s different doing it with a surrogate,” says Legend. “We developed a really nice relationship with her – we were just really grateful. You put your body through a lot to carry someone else’s child.” Are they still in each other’s lives? “Yes, we still communicate with her.”

Not only have their pregnancies been well documented but the pair are two of the most high-profile parents on the planet. This is arguably by choice – they’re more open with what they share on social media than most A-listers. “We don’t mind having a public life, and there are so many good things that come from it,” says Legend. “We know that there are also bad things that come with it. We take the good with the bad.”

The bad being, of course, the endless online trolling and nitpicking. Everything they do attracts searing criticism from some quarters; a cursory google brings up stories accusing them of using a baby carrier incorrectly, a car seat incorrectly, of Teigen being pregnant for “too long”. It used to bother them, admits Legend. “It got to us at first when we had Luna, because everyone had a critique – ‘Are you putting her in the car seat right? Is she in the stroller right? Are you breastfeeding?’ At first, especially when you’re a new mother, it can play to your insecurities.”

They’ve grown out of it now – “we became numb to it” – and Legend is surprisingly sanguine about the never-ending scrutiny. “We know it’s the price of the life that we live. We’re confident in our parenting ; we’re confident in the life that we’re building for our family. And so we don’t worry too much about little comments here and there.” Happily, most of their followers are “positive and supportive”.

What he’s less sanguine about is the fact that Teigen is frequently targeted individually. Most of the censure is outright ridiculous – she’s been slammed for using “dirty bathwater” (she was washing off body makeup), wearing an “inappropriate” outfit to the Paris Olympics (an inoffensive green cardigan and matching micro-shorts), having “a new face” (yes, really).

He tries to be supportive and empathetic. “But I honestly just hope we all get better with how we treat women,” he says of the double standard that pervades. “It’s abundantly clear to me, from my observation of what happens with Chrissy, that it’s harder to be a woman in public than it is to be a man. You see women running for office or women trying to lead a company – they get criticisms that just wouldn’t be thrown at a man in a similar circumstance.”

The most famous “woman in office” right now being, of course, current vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Legend has been vocal in his support of her: “She’s more presidential, she’s more intelligent, she understands the problems of the American people better and has better solutions. She should be our next president.”

Unlike other more cautious celebrities, Legend isn’t afraid to smack-talk the opposition either. “We’re running against someone who’s utterly toxic, unqualified and was manifestly terrible at his job,” he says of Republican contender Donald Trump. “Honestly, sometimes I’m like, ‘How is it even close?’”

But it is close. And, although he feels “optimistic”, that fact is “scary”, Legend admits. “Trump has no respect for democracy. If we don’t have respect for the vote in the US, the whole thing starts to fall apart. It would drastically change the character of our country.” He believes Trump would be “even worse if he got re-elected”.

In a strange twist of fate, Legend was on stage in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, when the city was mentioned in this week’s televised debate between Trump and Harris – Trump falsely claimed that Haitians had moved to Springfield and begun eating cats and dogs belonging to locals. “We have a large group of Haitian immigrants, who’ve just come to work and live and experience the American Dream,” Legend says sombrely. “It was wild being in my home state with a bunch of my family from Springfield, and then coming off stage to find out we were mentioned in the national debate with such a weird, ridiculous rumour.”

For Legend, it’s never felt commercially dangerous to talk openly about his political views, because they often align with those of his fans. But he’s full of praise for other artists who nail their colours to the mast when it’s more costly to do so. I’m meeting Legend shortly after Taylor Swift finally publicly endorsed Harris in the US election, following months of speculation. “I thought that was the perfect statement,” he tells me. “It was always really difficult for Taylor to speak out for liberal and progressive candidates coming from the country music world, where the fan base is a lot more conservative. It was riskier for her to start speaking out about politics than it is for me. I always respected the fact that she was willing to take that risk.”

As for Legend, though he plays it down, he’s certainly lost at least a few friends over his beliefs. He is famously no longer cosy with Kanye West – Legend’s debut studio album, Get Lifted , was released through West’s GOOD Music label in 2004. “I’d rather be my authentic self than put on a mask or betray my principles,” he says of going public with his politics. “And if I lose a few fans here and there, I’ll be fine.”

He can’t have lost too many supporters judging by his successes in the last couple of decades, including his first acting role in the acclaimed 2016 film La La Land . But his most notable achievement was reaching legendary Egot status – whereby someone wins an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. This ridiculously exclusive club has just 19 members, with Legend the first Black man to join its ranks. Do they, I ask excitedly, all meet up? Is there a WhatsApp group? Alas, no. “Unfortunately,” he sighs. “We should have one! I feel like Jennifer Hudson mentioned something when I was on her talk show. Maybe she can organise it?” Jennifer, the ball’s in your court.

While other people might start to wind down after attaining such an accomplishment, that’s clearly not on the cards here. There’s an upcoming tour, and a stint filming his 10th season as a coach on TV talent show The Voice . “Then we’re doing a 20th-anniversary edition of Get Lifted , which I’m very excited about. And I’ve been writing all the music for two Broadway shows. And then I’ll be working on a brand new R&B album…” It’s full steam ahead.

But, at least with his latest record, there’s always a piece of Legend he can leave behind for his children when he hits the road. “I may ride the planes and trains and distant highways,” as he croons on “Always Come Back”, accompanied by a swelling string section. “I know I’ll be finding my way home/ When I’m gone, just know, it’s not for long.”

‘My Favourite Dream’ is available now