JOHN LEGEND
On family life and why he hopes for change
John Legend isn’t just the guy fans turn to for soulful lyrics set over great melodies. Though the EGOT-winning musician and popular US The Voice coach can deliver that like no other, he has long used his massive platform to do much more. And he aptly titled the single from his new album ‘Actions’. Since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Legend, 41 – who has been staying at home in Los Angeles with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, 34, and their kids Luna, 4, and Miles, 2 – has helped buoy his fans with virtual appearances and performances. In the wake of
George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter protests, he has spoken out about ways to combat racial injustice and inequality. And all the while he has delighted his social-media followers by sharing the joys and woes of his nonstop family time with model and cookbook author Teigen and their busy toddlers.
“We have to do what we can as a society and a community to help each other,” Legend says. Here, the entertainer and activist answers readers’ questions about life, love and parenting in quarantine – and what he thinks could help lead to a better future.
AMANDA G: How do you juggle being a husband, raising children and working on your career at this time?
Because of the pandemic I’ve been home more than ever. I’ve done a lot of interviews from this very room, which is my living room, and we filmed The Voice from right here. I’ve done live performances from my piano; you’ve probably seen a couple of those as well. So I am working, but I get to see my wife and my kids more than I would normally see them, and I think that’s a pretty cool thing. I’m pretty sure my kids love the fact that Mummy and Daddy are home all the time nowadays and they don’t have to go to school. So it’s been an interesting time; it’s been challenging for a lot of people, I know that, but this time together and not travelling for work has been good for us.
JOAN Y: Do you ever get embarrassed when Luna or Miles interrupt your business Zooms? (I saw she wanted to bring you a snack the other day!)
I don’t really get that embarrassed. Everybody understands that we’re working from home, and the kids, as much as you want them to behave exactly how you want them to behave, sometimes they’re going to freelance. So occasionally Luna will walk in on my Zooms and sit in my lap and wave “Hi”, and I think it’s charming … most of the time.
PARIA S: At what age will you start having the tough conversations with your children about what being Black may look like for them?
We’re going to play it by ear. I don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen, but we’ll be able to tell when Luna is ready for that conversation and when Miles is ready. Luna already knows that she is Black. She also already knows that her mother’s family is Thai, and we try to make her proud of her heritage, of the things that are part of our different cultures and part of our ancestry. So we already talk a little bit about it, but we haven’t gotten in depth about what’s going on in the news right now or some of the other challenges that come with being a person of colour. We’ll get into it. It’ll be a conversation that every parent has to have with their kids at some point. But you want to wait until they’re ready to process it.
RENEE C: If you could be mayor or President for a day, what would you do first?
Oh, there’s so many things I want to do! Anyone who knows me knows I’m very outspoken when it comes to my political beliefs. I would want to drastically reduce our use of jails and prisons. I would want to take some of the funding that is currently going
“I never expected a situation like this in our lives” JOHN LEGEND
towards policing and spend it on other things that could be more beneficial to the community. I would make sure our schools were as good as they possibly could be, make sure everyone had health care, make sure everyone could go to college and afford to go to college. Those are just a few of the things that I would want to do. I speak out a lot about politics because politics isn’t just a game, it’s something that affects a lot of people’s lives, affects their quality of life and is even life or death for a lot of people. Hopefully as we vote this year, we’ll vote to put people in office who are attuned to the needs of the people and who will do what’s right. JACKIE F: How are you addressing what’s going on in the world right now with your white friends? When people ask, “How are you?” what do you say?
When people ask me how I’m doing, I say I’m doing well, and I am doing well in the sense that I’m happy with my career, I’m happy with my family, and most moments in my day are positive moments. But, that being said, it can be very frustrating watching the news. It can be very frustrating thinking about how we keep having the same conversations over and over again about abuse from the police, abuse from the criminal-justice system. We really do need change, and that’s something I’ve been focused on for a long time in my philanthropic and political work. When moments like George Floyd’s killing happen, it makes it even more urgent that change is needed. I’m doing fine, but too many people in our country aren’t doing well, and for too long we’ve put up with a system that doesn’t treat people of colour equally, and that needs to change.
VIVIAN W: What is one of your favourite traditions from Chrissy’s Thai culture that you’ve enjoyed passing down to Luna and Miles?
Of course we love the food in Thai culture. We’ve had Pepper Thai, Chrissy’s mum, cooking for us for many years. I think my kids are really fortunate they get to learn about Thai culture, they get to learn about AfricanAmerican culture … and know that their traditions should be valued and cherished. STEPHANIE B: What is your and Chrissy’s favourite thing to do as a couple?
Just the little things; watching movies that we’ve already seen, just chilling on the couch watching reality TV or something silly or something good. Having a glass of wine after the kids go to bed. It’s nice. We like to share those as a couple, and you need those moments, particularly after the kids go to bed. •