On Friday, March 31, John Legend sat down with “News One Now” host and managing editor Roland S. Martin for an hour-long interview, where the singer spoke candidly about everything from President Donald Trump’s arrival in the nation’s capital to reforming the criminal justice system and producing his hit “Underground” series on WGN America.
“I think Trump’s entire message has been one of authoritarianism and fear mongering, and you see that with crime, as well,” Legend said of the 45th President of United States. “He’ll give completely incorrect crime stats – completely false statements about the crime in certain cities, and his motive is to sow fear among people so that he can have more control, he can have more power, and he can have the right to take people’s rights away. We should be concerned about that, and we should fight against it. Luckily for us right now, states and local governments actually drive much more of the incarceration issue than the president or even the national congress do. We can still put pressure on our state representatives, on our governors, to do the right thing when it comes to criminal justice reform without the influence of the presidency on what they do.”
Meanwhile, Legend is trying to break down barriers himself, while serving as an executive producer on WGN America’s groundbreaking series “Underground.” Legend said of the project’s message: “It wasn’t just a slave show. It wasn’t about wallowing in the suffering of slavery. Even though we have to tell that story too, and it’s important we know what a terrible institution slavery was and that we don’t let America forget what happened to our ancestors, we wanted the show to not just be about that but to be about the revolution, about the escape, about fighting for abolition, about America’s first integrated civil rights movement – the abolitionist movement, and the Underground Railroad. And we believe that that story would be something that would be inspiring for people.”
As you can imagine, the proud papa also has his hands full with daughter Luna, who he and his wife, swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen, welcomed during the spring of 2016 — an experience that has since shaped his music. “I talk about some of the questions that parents have. I wrote a song called “Right By You,” and when we wrote the song, we didn’t want to say all these declarative statements. We wanted it to be mostly questions, mostly wondering what she’s going to be like, whose traits is she going to take on, how will she move in the world, what will her impact in the world be,” Legend explained. I think the fact that we use questions and not answers was reflective of the fact that it’s a humbling experience to be a new parent. It’s an awesome responsibility and we’re learning as we go, and that’s certainly been a part of my songwriting.”
