John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything", and performing as an uncredited backing vocalist on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name". He was the first artist to sign with rapper Kanye West's GOOD Music, through which he released his debut studio album, Get Lifted (2004). Preceded by the hit ballad "Ordinary People", the album reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Legend won three Grammy Awards from eight nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards—"Ordinary People" won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Get Lifted won Best R&B Album, and Legend won Best New Artist; the album's final single, "So High" (remixed with Lauryn Hill), was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. His second album, Once Again (2006), was met with continued success, supported by the lead single "Save Room". His third album, Evolver (2008), further diversified his sound with other genres; its funk-inspired lead single, "Green Light" (featuring André 3000), peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the RIAA. That same year, Legend released the live album John Legend: Live from Philadelphia (2008), followed by his collaborative album with the Philadelphia-based hip hop band Roots, Wake Up! (2010).
Legend's fourth studio album, Love in the Future (2013) was preceded by the hit single "All of Me". The pop ballad yielded his furthest commercial success; it peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, spent 23 consecutive weeks in the chart's top ten, and received diamond (14× platinum) certification by the RIAA. In 2015, he co-performed with Meghan Trainor on her single "Like I'm Gonna Lose You", which peaked at number seven on the chart. The following year, he released his fifth album Darkness and Light (2016) and parted ways with GOOD Music. Legend has since released A Legendary Christmas (2018), Bigger Love (2020)—which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album—and his ninth album, Legend (2022).
Throughout his musical career, Legend has won 12 Grammy Awards. In 2007, he won the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Legend won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for his 2015 single "Glory" (with Common), which was released for the film Selma. He won the NAACP's President's Award in 2016. In Broadway acting, Legend won a Tony Award for co-producing the stage play Jitney (2017), and portrayed the titular character in NBC's adaptation of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (2018). He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his acting role, and won the award for his role as a producer of the show, making him the first Black male and second youngest recipient of all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) in 2018. Legend also has served as a vocal coach for the reality competition series The Voice for ten seasons since its sixteenth season in 2019. He became the show's senior coach following Blake Shelton's 2023 departure. He has served as the Chief Music Officer for the company Headspace since 2025.
LEGEND
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Bigger Love
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Wake Up!
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Evolver
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Once Again
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Get Lifted
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Live at SOB's
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Safe
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L-O-V-E
- 2024-08-09T00:00:00.000000Z
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