John Legend’s song, “Never Break”, has never been more timely in his own life. Just weeks after Chrissy Teigen announced that she and Legend had lost their third child, the 41-year-old singer delivered a powerful performance of “Never Break,” off his latest album, Bigger Love, during Wednesday’s 2020 Billboard Music Awards.
While introducing Legend, Kelly Clarkson sent him and Teigen her love.
“He and Chrissy just have this warm way of inviting us into their world, the highs and the lows. Our hearts go out to you both in this very difficult time and I’m thankful that you continue to share your light and your talent with all of us for the very special performance, possibly my favorite of the night,” she said. “This is ‘Never Break’ with John Legend.”
Legend sweetly dedicated his performance to his wife.
“Who knows about tomorrow? We don’t know what’s in the stars, I just know I’ll always follow the light in your heart,” he sang, clearly emotional. “…We will never break.”
This is the first time the R&B artist has performed since the loss of his son in September. Teigen — who announced she was expecting her third child with Legend in August — broke the news to her social media followers after she was hospitalized upon experiencing pregnancy complications.
“We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough,” she wrote on Instagram. “We never decide on our babies’ names until the last possible moment after they’re born, just before we leave the hospital. But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. So he will always be Jack to us. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever,” she continued. “To our Jack – I’m so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn’t give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you.”
Following the performance, Legend dedicated the song to Teigen.
“This is for Chrissy. I love and cherish you and our family so much. We’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows together. Watching you carry our children has been so moving and humbling,” he wrote.
This is for Chrissy. I love and cherish you and our family so much. We’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows together. Watching you carry our children has been so moving and humbling. https://t.co/4dAGhlFzZ0
— John Legend (@johnlegend) October 16, 2020
Legend then shared a video of the performance on Instagram along with a sweet message to his wife.
“I’m in awe of the strength you’ve shown through the most challenging moments,” the post included.
“What an awesome gift it is to be able to bring life into the world. We’ve experienced the miracle, the power and joy of this gift, and now we’ve deeply felt its inherent fragility.”
This is not the first time Legend has performed the heart-wrenching ballad, however. He also sang “Never Break” during night two of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
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