John Legend, Alicia Keys will perform a piano duel to celebrate Juneteenth

Two of the most famous piano players in the world are preparing for what will surely be a memorable duel. On Friday, John Legend and Alicia Keys are set to tickle the ivories in a piano battle that acts as a celebration for Juneteenth.The Instagram Live series has been holding several notable battles on the Verzuz channel to help keep fans entertained during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. T-Pain and Lil Jon, Ludacris and Nelly and Key’s husband Swizz Beatz along with fellow artist and producer Timbaland have all participated. Keys and Legend both announced the collaboration on their social media pages this past week. Starting at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, June 19, viewers will be able to watch the Grammy winners in a piano battle that will take place on VerzuzTV.com.

Battle of the ? Juneteenth! ???⁣⁣With my brother @johnlegend ⁣⁣⁣⁣6/19 8PM EST/5pm PST ⁣⁣??????⁣⁣@verzuzonline #Verzuz pic.twitter.com/9CDSr46aw0

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) June 13, 2020

[video_embed id='1977091']RELATED: Trump changes rally from Juneteenth[/video_embed]Juneteenth is celebrated in the U.S. every June 19th to commemorate the 1865 announcement by Union general Gordon Granger that all enslaved people in Texas were finally free. Also known as Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, the announcement came more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which formally announced the freeing of all slaves. Union troops were dispersed throughout the U.S. to enforce the proclamation, but with only a few Union soldiers inhabiting one of the Southernmost and remote Confederate states, the end of slavery was delayed in Texas.This year’s Juneteenth celebration has a heightened sense of importance considering the ongoing protests taking place in the U.S. and beyond. Following the killing of several Black civilians in the U.S. by the police, support has been mounting for the Black Lives Matter movement and a major overhaul of the systemically racist government policies currently in place.The latest Verzuz battle will reunite longtime friends Keys and Legend, who toured together in 2005. Keys had just released her second studio album The Diary of Alicia Keys and tapped the up and coming Legend to perform as her opening act. Legend burst onto the music scene the year before with his debut album Get Lifted, which went on to win the 2006 Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance with the single “Ordinary People.” Legend also took home the Grammy for Best New Artist, an award Keys had previously won in 2002.The pair also appeared together on a 2017 episode of Apple TV’s Carpool Karaoke in a segment that included an appearance from James Corden, who helped to prove that yes, Alicia Keys and John Legend can sing anything and make it sound good.In addition to the upcoming Verzuz battle, John Legend will also appear in a televised Father’s Day special on Sunday. Along with his wife Chrissy Teigen and friends Common, Scottie Pippen, Anthony Anderson, and Stevie Wonder, Legend will be leading John Legend And Family: A Bigger Love special to celebrate Father’s Day and the release of Legend’s seventh studio album, Bigger Love, which is set to debut on Friday.

 

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I’ve got your Father’s Day plans covered. Join my family and friends on Sunday, June 21st for #JohnLegendFathersDay at 8|7c on @ABCNetwork!#BiggerLove

A post shared by John Legend (@johnlegend) on Jun 12, 2020 at 12:00pm PDT

[video_embed id='1977627']BEFORE YOU GO: Megan Thee Stallion, more celebs attend All Black Lives Matter protest[/video_embed]