John Legend welcomed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, performing a song by one of Minnesota’s greatest artists: Prince. Ahead of Walz’s acceptance as the party’s vice presidential nominee, Legend honored the Gopher state, where Walz coached high school football before becoming governor. (Legend previously participated in a Prince tribute at the 2020 Grammys, with a performance of Prince-penned Sinead O’Connor hit “Nothing Compares 2 U.”)
Together with Sheila E., Legend sang “Let’s Go Crazy” — the 1984 single by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Purple Rain.
Legend shared his endorsement of Vice Preident Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate in a CBS Mornings interview Wednesday, and said, “she also has the right character traits I think to be a great president, which means she cares about people’s lives, wants government to work for people and improve their lives.” He joined a slew of actors and artists who have also pledged their support for the presidential candidate including Charli XCX, Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Kerry Washington.
Grammy-winning country artist Maren Morris, a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming health care, also performed earlier on Wednesday night and sang her 2020 track, “Better Than We Found It.”
In 2022, the “Bones” singer chastised Brittany Aldean, country artist Jason Aldean’s wife, for her transphobic comments, and during a January 2023 Rupaul’s Drag Race appearance, Morris apologized on behalf of the country music industry for its discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ+ people. Morris received the Changemaker Award during Variety’s Hitmakers event in December and spoke openly about the “deeply fractured” genre that favors men, adding, “Even as I stand here today, not a single solo woman artist has been in the Top 20 on the Country Airplay charts in the last two weeks.”
“I realized very quickly that publicly pointing out these inequalities doesn’t make you the most popular,” Morris continued at the Hitmakers event. “If you dare criticize blatant misogyny, racism, transphobia within the ranks of your industry, you’re met with isolation, death threats, labeled as ungrateful, biting the hand that fed you. Or diminishingly told to just shut up and sing.”
Several country artists took the stage during the first night of the Democratic National Convention: Mickey Guyton performed “All American” — which Rolling Stone’s Marissa R. Moss called “an audible version of the Harris-Walz camo hat” — and Jason Isbell sang “Something More Than Free,” off of his 2015 album of the same name.
Pink is expected to close out the Chicago convention Thursday.