John Legend Inspires With His Performance "Never Break" on Netflix’s New Documentary "Giving Voice"

Stories of hope and inspiration are needed now more than ever. As we close out a year filled with loss and sorrow, it is great to see that art can still serve as a means towards healing and EGOT winner John Legend is helping show that artistry with his latest performance Never Break from the Netflix documentary Giving Voice, which he also serves as an executive producer.

The documentary, released on Dec. 11 on the global streaming platform, 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.

About the documentary, Legend says, “A handful are given a chance to perform on the Broadway stage, a place they thought they’d never be.”

Critics are saying 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,” 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 below, which is a part of the Netflix Playlist series: