Sufjan Stevens has produced a new album of music for kids and babies by John Legend. My Favorite Dream is due out on August 30 via Republic, and features nine original tracks, five covers (Bob Marley & the Wailers’ “Three Little Birds,” “You Are My Sunshine,” and three bonus covers of Fisher-Price songs), and a solo piano song. You can hear the first single, “L-O-V-E,” which features Chrissy Teigen (his wife) and two of his kids, Luna and Miles, below.
“As I was writing the songs & envisioning what they could sound like fully arranged, I thought, ‘I wonder if Sufjan Stevens would make a children’s album with me!,'” Legend said. “I’ve loved Sufjan’s music for nearly 20 years. He’s such a visionary artist, and I knew he would create the dreamy, whimsical soundscapes I wanted. So I reached out. And he said YES. I was so happy because he was my first and only choice. I’m proud to say the entire album is produced by Sufjan Stevens. I’m grateful for his genius. He blessed the album with music beyond my expectations & imagination.”
Speaking to Maria Sherman at Associated Press, Legend also said Sufjan is “singing a lot of backup, and he’s such a genius. I have been a fan of his for like 20 years. When I was writing these songs, my first thought of who I wanted to produce this was Sufjan, because I love how dreamy he can make music, and how whimsical, and how much character he has to everything that he makes. And I just felt like it would be the perfect energy for a children’s album: To blend my songwriting with his production and arranging and playing. You just hear his influence all over the album and I love it. I was so happy he said yes because you never know if someone’s gonna want to make a children’s album with you, and we had never worked together. We had never even met before we started working on this.”
“I wanted the parents to like it,” Legend continued to Associated Press about the project. “I wanted the same standard of like quality and musicianship that I would want on any of my records.”
Sufjan released Javelin, one of our top albums of the year, in 2023, and the theater production based on his 2005 album Illinois, Illinoise, is on Broadway through August 10.
JOHN LEGEND – MY FAVORITE DREAM TRACKLIST
01 “We’re A Family”
02 “When I Feel Sad”
03 “Three Little Birds”
04 “L-O-V-E” (Feat. Chrissy, Luna, & Miles)
05 “Deep In The Ocean Blue”
06 “For You”
07 “You Are My Sunshine”
08 “When We Fly”
09 “Safe”
10 “Go to Sleep”
11 “Always Come Back”
12 “We’re a Family” (Solo Piano)
13 “Great, Great Day” (Bonus Track)
14 “Friendship” (Bonus Track)
15 “Maybe” (Bonus Track)