John Legend and Pharrell Williams have released the official music video for “Fireflies,” giving fans another look at Legend’s upcoming album Muse.
The video was directed by Paul Hunter and features Legend playing piano with the Hollywood Cinematic Orchestra. It also shows people living in a housing project, bringing the song’s themes of hardship, loss and hope into the story.
“Fireflies” is the second song released from Muse, following “Daylight,” which was released earlier this month as the album’s lead single. The full album is scheduled for October 23 through Republic Records and will contain 16 songs.
The project is also special because it brings together two longtime friends in a new way. Pharrell has produced and co-written the entire album, marking the first full project the two have made together after more than 20 years of friendship. They worked on the music in Paris, combining sounds from gospel, classic soul, Afrobeat, hip-hop and other styles.
Legend has described the sound of Muse as having a cinematic feel with what he called a “Black James Bond” style, mixed with a modern rhythm. The album also features Clipse on “Bodies on the Floor,” while Pharrell appears on several tracks.
For Legend, Muse comes more than two decades after the release of his debut album Get Lifted in 2004. He has since built a career across music, television and film, becoming an EGOT winner with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.
