Out of the countless international concerts planned for Bangkok this year, one announcement caused an appropriate collective freak-out. In a short promo video, nine-time Grammy- and Academy Award-winning recording artist John Legend, with his half-Thai, half-Norwegian wife, Chrissy Teigen, greeted Thai fans with a cheery "Sawasdee".
Legend, who describes himself as a "pop-soul" artist, will be in Bangkok for his "Darkness And Light Asian Tour" on March 23 at Bitec Bangna's 106 Hall. This will be his first ever concert in Bangkok, and he's promised to play all of his hit songs -- from his first album, Get Lifted (2004), to his latest and most ambitious album of all, Darkness And Light (2016).
The American singer-songwriter, actor and philanthropist is known for his soulful voice and remarkably romantic songs -- as well as his outspoken political messages. He often speaks about prison reform, civil rights and youth development, and his professed belief in the close relationship between art and activism is well known. Last December, he was chosen to perform at a Nobel Peace Prize concert in Norway, playing a piano that survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
Legend called Life from New York while in the middle of rehearsing for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. He talks of his latest album, the importance of speaking out, and what to expect for the upcoming concert in Bangkok.
The Bangkok audience will be expecting you to know a few phrases in Thai. Has your wife Chrissy taught you anything so far?
In Thai, very, very little [laughs]. I can do 'Sawasdee krub' and 'Kob khun krub' [laughs]. That's about it.
Could you describe how your latest album, Darkness And Light, differs from your previous albums?
Obviously I'm the same artist. There's certain things about me that remain the same over the years, but as I grow as a person and my life changes, I write about those different experiences. Also I worked with some different musicians than I had before -- I worked with Blake Mills on production and we brought a live band that I hadn't worked with before, and in that way it was different.
How was working with Blake Mills?
It was great! He's such a talented musician and a really good person too. We really clicked immediately. We worked really well together and we came in with a vision of what we wanted to do together and he really executed the vision well.
You guys said that there won't be any songs about 'nothing', which I find very powerful.
Yeah, I think that was a good vision to have. [We wanted] every song to have a purpose -- to be honest and to come from a really authentic place.
Where does the album name come from?
The name Darkness And Light came from the song itself. I usually name the album after I finish most of the songs to know what direction the album is going in. And some of the themes were featured in the album throughout. And the cool coincidence was that the first song that was playing -- the first line is 'Darkest of night with the Moon shining bright', and then we ended up naming [our daughter] Luna, so it kind of tied in perfectly with the whole 'darkness and light' thing.
Speaking of darkness, you're pretty vocal about US politics at the moment.
I always have been pretty vocal about politics. I think right now it's even more urgent than it has been for a while because we've got an imbecile running our country. So, you know, it's making me pay attention more and speak out more.
How important do you think it is for public figures like you to speak out?
I think everybody has to decide on their own if they think it's something that's right for them. If they have an opinion and if they have something they care about, and if they think they can have influence, then they should speak out.
Some people just want to be known for their music or whatever art they choose, but it's hard to disentangle your art from what's going on in the world, you know. Politics affects everybody -- what's going on in the world. And part of our jobs as artists is [being] truth-tellers ... It's hard to exclude what's going on publicly, and political issues like that.
How many of your songs are based on your own experience?
A lot of it is from my own experience, some of it's not. Some are from conversations I've had with friends and the way I think about the world, and some of it is directly from my own experience. [All Of Me] I wrote for my wife, and then I wrote a song about my daughter in this new album called Right By You, and there are more. And [Penthouse] is thinking about what it means to make it and what it means to be upwardly mobile and achieve your dreams and ascend to where you want to go in life, but also remember where you come from and not forgetting that.
How has being a father changed the way you work and write music?
I think part of it is just bringing a new light and a new love into my life. It's exciting and fun. Also I think it strengthened my relationship with my wife, and the challenge of raising a daughter together and getting through those first few months together made it stronger. And it makes you realise what's important in life and prioritise the right things in life.
What can Thai audiences expect from your show in two weeks?
Oh, I can't wait! It'll be the last show of the Asian tour, and I'm excited to come back to Thailand. I've been there quite a few times visiting Chrissy and her family. This is my first time actually doing a concert tour there, so I'm excited.
The show is going to be a mix of all of my materials from all of my albums. So, from the beginning till now. So hopefully all my Thai fans will come out and enjoy my entire repertoire that night and we'll have a good time.
