Photo:LaQuita Washington
Singer, songwriter, producer, composer and EGOT winner John Legend performs an intimate rendition of “Never Break” from the new Netflix documentary, “Giving Voice.”
View trailer here.
The documentary will be released on Dec. 11 on the global streaming platform, and follows six students of varied backgrounds as they advance through the August Wilson Monologue Competition, an event that celebrates one of America’s greatest playwrights.
“Giving Voice” also features interviews with Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, both of whom starred together in the adaptation of Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Fences.” Davis also appears in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” which lands on Netflix on Dec. 18.
Legend serves as an executive producer on the documentary and says, “A handful are given a chance to perform on the Broadway stage, a place they thought they’d never be.”
The song is bound to be a contender in the Best Original song category with hopes of landing a nomination for the 93rd Academy Awards set for next April. Legend says of the ballad, “it reflects their tenacity, their resilience, their commitment to actualizing their dreams.”
“Giving Voice” first premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, but as Legend says, much has changed since then and the song has taken on a new meaning since then. “We’ve all been in many places we never thought we’d be with this,” he says. “The song has taken new meaning – for challenges and changes, some wonderful and some, we thought might destroy us.”
Legend adds the meaning and lyrics of “Never Break” remain the same, “When we’re faced with the unexpected, even the impossible, we resolve that we will never break.”
Watch the performance here which is a part of the Netflix Playlist series.
A new generation of performers is discovered in “Giving Voice,” which follows the emotional journey of six students as they advance through the high-stakes August Wilson Monologue Competition, an event which celebrates one of America’s preeminent playwrights. Every year, thousands of students from twelve cities across the United States perform the Pulitzer Prize winner’s work (“Fences,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) for a shot to perform on Broadway.
Directors Jim Stern and Fernando Villena capture students discovering themselves and the world around them through Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” a canon of ten plays portraying the 20th century African-American experience. Executive producer Viola Davis, along with “Fences” co-star Denzel Washington, share the impact that Wilson’s timeless artistry and legacy has had on their careers and their hopes for the young people carrying it forward. Giving Voice is an Endgame Entertainment and Pilgrim Media Group Production in association with Endeavor Content, Impact Partners, Get Lifted Film Co and JuVee Productions.
