John Legend Says He’s Open to Verzuz Battle With Alicia Keys
Written by SOURCE on May 8, 2020
John Legend wants to get in on the Verzuz battle series. And he already has an opponent in mind.
During a recent appearance on Nick Cannon‘s Power 106 radio show, the EGOT winner expressed his appreciation for the Instagram live series in which artists, producers, and writers go hit-for-hit in front of a worldwide audience. Cannon said it was only a matter of time before Legend participated in a battle, and suggested he go against his fellow The Voice coach Alicia Keys. Legend was all for it.
“I think that’d probably be the best thing. And, honestly I think we would do it—if we did it, like a dueling piano thing … I think we will,” he said at around the 8:30 minute mark. “But what I do love about the way [Verzuz has] been going so far is we’re seeing producers and writers, more than just artists. Because the producers and writers, what’s so cool about it, is you didn’t maybe know they produced this song …”
Verzuz was launched by Timbaland and Keys’ husband Swizz Beatz in late March as a way to provide some entertainment during the coronavirus lockdowns. Since then, a number of music heavy-weights have participated in the popular series. We’re talking everyone from The-Dream and Sean Garrett to T-Pain and Lil Jon to Scott Storch and Mannie Fresh.
Legend went on to praise Verzuz for highlighting the music figures who aren’t always recognized for their contributions.
“For us—me and Alicia—you know it’s our songs because we are the front-person for them … But for all of these producers like Teddy [Riley] and Babyface and all these other producers, you’re like ‘Oh, I didn’t know they were behind that song …'” he said. “And that’s really part of the joy and the education of watching Verzuz, is you’re really learning music history.”
You can watch Legend’s full interview above. The singer also discusses his experience during the stay-at-home orders, the worst piece of advice he’s ever received, the jobs he held prior to making it big, and much, much more.
