John Legend is about to follow up his Sufjan Stevens-produced 2024 LP My Favorite Dream with a new one produced entirely by Pharrell Williams. Muse is set for release on October 23 via Republic Records, and the lead single ‘Daylight’ is out now. Give it a listen below.
“I think my repertoire has always been very diverse, but the piano-driven ballads have gotten the most traction throughout my career,” Legend reflected in a press release. “I wanted to shake up the formula and do something fresh and new.” He continued: “There are plenty of artists who get to a point in their career where they don’t make anything new. We can just play the hits; we can stay in our comfort zone. But I believe it’s important to keep the mindset that I have to continue to prove myself. I wanted this album to have that sense of urgency — to feel like something that needed to be made and is fully worthy of my audience’s attention.”
The new album took shape after Legend appeared on Let God Sort ‘Em Out, the 2026 LP by Clipse, who deliver Muse‘s sole guest feature. “When Pharrell called me, I thought, let’s do this,” Legend recalled. “A lot of people would have imagined we’d done something like this already, but we hadn’t. It felt past due.”
He added, “Pharrell’s idea from the beginning was that we would create something with all of these classic, cinematic elements, this Black James Bond aesthetic, but with a modern backbeat at its foundation. You can hear traces of me and traces of him, but it sounds like something new for the both of us. The combination of me and Pharrell, on paper, I think, is a good idea. And the execution is even better.”
Muse Cover Artwork:
Muse Tracklist:
1. Muse [feat. Pharrell Williams]
2. Pray For Ya
3. Her Introduction
4. Her [feat. Pharrell Williams]
5. Daylight
6. Get Back [feat. Pharrell Williams]
7. Are You OK? [feat. Pharrell Williams]
8. Under The Bridge Introduction
9. Under The Bridge
10. Next Time [feat. Pharrell Williams]
11. Bodies On The Floor – Taps Introduction
12. Bodies On The Floor [feat. Clipse]
13. Doing Me
14. Fireflies [feat. Pharrell Williams]
15. Everything
16. Sail Off
