John Legend Is Wide Awake and Dreaming on New Single ‘Don’t Need to Sleep’

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Show At "Chime For Change: The Sound Of Change Live" Concert - Credit:  Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Gucci
Show At "Chime For Change: The Sound Of Change Live" Concert - Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Gucci

John Legend is wide awake and dreaming on his latest single “Don’t Need to Sleep.” The song appears in Waad Al-Kateab’s recently released documentary We Dare to Dream, now streaming on Peacock, which the musician executive produced alongside Angelina Jolie.

“But tonight/I don’t need to close my eyes/I don’t need to fall asleep/I don’t need to sleep to dream no I don’t,” Legend sings on the record, co-written with Justin Tranter and producer Oak Felder. “Bent but not broken/Down but not hopeless/Eyes are wide open I know it/Don’t need to sleep to dream.”

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We Dare to Dream is an original documentary that tells the story of refugee athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon. “Spanning a breadth of backgrounds, personal stories and Olympic sports, the film reveals their lives and hopes as they train to compete on the world stage, showing the fire and the drive of young people forced to leave their families, homes and countries of birth to build new lives out of nothing,” a synopsis for the film reads.

The film follows the players to a pivotal moment in which they arrive to the summer Olympics. “Their compatriots back home and their new communities in refugee camps watch as these determined young athletes fight for their place in the world,” the description continues. “This is their story of heart in the face of adversity, and most of all, hope for a better life.”

“Don’t Need to Sleep” marks the first release from Legend since the release of his 2022 album, Legend. Earlier this year, he appeared on collaborative releases and features with Niall Horan and Rufus Wainwright.

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