John Legend released his first new song since the release of his album Darkness and Light in December, with a new song titled “In America.”
In “In America,” Legend sings with hope and optimism for those wanting to thrive in the US. The song was written for the second season of WGN’s TV series Underground, for which Legend is an executive producer.
“‘In America’ was born around the same time I was working on my most recent album Darkness and Light,” Legend said in a press release. “It’s a song I was writing while thinking about the duality of America, where it’s known to be this place of freedom, equality, and where anyone can make it.”
“The song points out the tension between the promise of America, the ideals of America and sometimes us not living up to those ideals in practice. ‘In America’ was the perfect song for Underground, a series I’m incredibly proud to be a part of, and one that does a beautiful job of portraying a challenging time in our nation’s history while reminding us that change is possible.”
Underground is TV series written around enslaved people in the US before the Civil War. The show focuses on a group known as The Macon 7 who attempt to escape from slavery under the leadership of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Listen to “In America” below.
