Biography
John Legend's brand of classy, soulful and politically-engaged music filled a niche on the contemporary R&B scene, beginning with his critically successful debut album Get Lifted (2004). The album marked the first time that mainstream music lovers heard Legend's smooth vocals bringing a certain suavity to hip-hop soul, most notably in the hit single "Ordinary People." Legend's sophomore release, Once Again (2006), exceeded the commercial and critical success that he enjoyed with his first album. Instead of shooting for a blend of soul, pop, and hip-hop as he did in his first release, the Grammy Award-winning singer headed for a more innovative, adult contemporary direction on Once Again, which featured the catchy mid-tempo "Save Room" and the rock-laced song "Stereo." Legend showcased his political convictions and maturing sound on albums such as Wake Up! (2010), a collaboration with hip-hop group The Roots and a solid effort from an undeniably versatile musician and vocal powerhouse. This social conscience led to Legend's greatest success, co-writing the Academy Award-winning "Glory" with rapper Common for the soundtrack to the civil rights drama "Selma (2014). He was born John Stephens on Dec. 28, 1978 in Springfield, OH. At an early age, Legend started playing gospel and classical piano under the tutelage of his grandmother. He attended Springfield North High School, where he graduated as salutatorian at age 16, before going off to attend the University of Pennsylvania as an English major. While in college, Legend put in time honing his budding music career by recording CDs with an a capella group, performing solo at various talent shows and open mic nights, and working as the music and choir director at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Scranton. It was during this time when Legend met hip-hop and R&B artist Lauryn Hill, who gave him his first big break by asking him to play the piano on her hit single "Everything is Everything" (1998). Helping his exposer, he was also making the rounds on the nightclub circuit in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Legend was performing as an independent artist and distributing both his self-titled demo album (2000) and Live At Jimmy's Uptown (2001) when he was introduced by his college roommate to the then-emerging hip-hop artist Kanye West, who signed Legend as the first artist on his Getting Out Our Dreams (G.O.O.D.) label. In 2004, Legend released his official debut album Get Lifted to critical acclaim, thanks in part to the hit single "Ordinary People," a song which he originally wrote for the Black Eyed Peas. The LP went on to win three Grammy Awards in 2006 for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and the coveted Best New Artist honor. On Legend's sophomore release, Once Again, he collaborated with a stable of talented producers including West and Peas' frontman, will.i.am, to produce another critically-lauded, ballad-driven album with a more adult contemporary sound, evidenced with songs such as the mid-tempo, piano-based love ballad "Save Room" and the Grammy Award-winning track "Heaven (Only Knows). It also featured one of Legend's more upbeat tracks, "PDA (We Just Don't Care), about public displays of affection. While Once Again lifted Legend's career to new heights, it also made the singer the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit in 2011. Songwriter Anthony Stokes alleged that Legend's song "Maxine's Interlude" was based on a demo track that he gave Legend following the singer's concert in 2004. Stokes claimed that he never heard back from Legend after he gave him the track and was taken aback after hearing Legend's single "Maxine's Interlude" on the Once Again album. In between song recordings, concert tours and live performances, Legend also dabbled in acting, guest starring on the musical drama series "American Dreams" (NBC, 2002-05), where he portrayed Stevie Wonder, and on the HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000-2011) as himself. He also collaborated with established artists over the years, including West, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Fergie, and Pink. For his next major release, Legend and hip-hop/neo soul band The Roots teamed up to record Wake Up!, a politically-profound R&B album where they covered songs pulled from '60s and '70s soulful music such as Marvin Gaye's "Wholy Holy" (1971) and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" (1975). It also featured Legend's original composition, "Shine," which was included on the soundtrack to the educational reform documentary "Waiting for 'Superman'" (2010). In 2011, Legend announced his engagement to American model Chrissy Teigen, whom he had begun dating in 2007. That same year, the singer's hit song "Save Room" was included on the soundtrack to the romantic comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" starring Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell. In 2012, Legend landed a regular television gig on "Duets" (ABC, 2012), a reality competition show where seasoned artists mentored, judged, and performed with aspiring singers, all of whom were competing for a recording contract. The following year, Legend released his fourth album, Love in the Future, which featured the hit single "All of Me." Legend teamed with rapper Common to write the song "Glory" for the soundtrack to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. biopic "Selma" (2014); the collaboration won Best Original Song at the 2015 Academy Awards. Legend followed with the album Darkness and Light (2016) and continued his work in film, co-starring in and providing music for the romantic musical "La La Land" (2016) and duetting on the theme song of the live-action "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) with Ariana Grande. The following year, Legend starred in the title role of a live concert production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" (NBC 2018) that aired on Easter Sunday.
