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John Legend

John Legend

ALL ARTIST INFO IS PULLED FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA.
IF YOU REPRESENT THIS ARTIST AND WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY YOUR PAGE OR UPDATE THE INFO, Click Here
birthday
28th
December, 1978
Birth Place
Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Birth Sign
capricorn
Biography

John Legend, real name John Roger Stephens, was born on December 28th, 1978. The 42-year-old singer, songwriter, philanthropist, and pianist has had an impressive career, scoring his biggest hit with “All of Me,” a single from his fourth record. Growing up in Springfield, Ohio, in a musical family, Legend showed his first signs of aspiring to be a musician himself as a teenager. 

Legend has received a wide array of awards over the course of his career – he was even the first Black man to win a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy. Since 2004, he’s released numerous charting records, including Get Lifted, Evolver, Love in the Future, Darkness and Light, Bigger Love, and more. 

Read on to get all the facts about John Legend’s backstory and career.

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instruments played
keyboards
pian
Piano
Vocals
Alma Mater

University of Pennsylvania (BA)

Associated Acts

Common Dave Tozer Estelle Kanye West Rick Ross The Roots will.i.am

Children

2

Education

North High School, Springfield, Ohio

Genres

R&B soul pop

Labels

Columbia GOOD Sony Urban

Occupation

Singer songwriter record producer actor film producer theatre director philanthropist

Spouses

Chrissy Teigen (m. )

Television

Underground Sherman's Showcase Rhythm + Flow The Voice

Website

johnlegend.com

Years Active

1997 present

Name

John Legend

Nationality

United States of America

Wiki Link

John Legend’s Early Life and Breakthrough into Music 

John Roger Stephens has three siblings. His parents are Phyllis Elaine Stephens and Ronald Lamar Stephens. Both of his parents were involved in music, with his mother singing in the church choir and his father playing drums. John’s grandmother was the organist at the family’s church. John started singing at an early age, and as he grew up, he started to dream of being a successful musician. As a 15-year-old living in Springfield, Stephens won a Mcdonald’s sweepstake by writing an essay about how he would make Black history by becoming a musician.  Stephens did great in school. He skipped several grades and was later offered numerous scholarships to prestigious colleges like Georgetown University and Morehouse College. He ended up going to the University of Pennsylvania and singing in the school’s a capella group. John’s first job out of college was as a management consultant for Boston Consulting Group. While working for BCG, Stephens started working hard on writing songs. He produced and recorded his first material himself and started playing shows. In the early 2000s, John got his big break thanks to music industry legend Devo Springsteen. Springsteen introduced John to Kanye West, who was a notable producer, artist, and label head at the time. Kanye signed Stephens to his GOOD Music label, which kick-started his career and got him on track to release his first record. After signing to Kanye’s label, John decided to start performing under the stage name John Legend. The name was inspired by the poet J. Ivy, who praised John’s music and described him as sounding like “one of the legends.” 

John Legend Today 

  • As of 2021, John Legend is married to model Chrissy Teigen. They met when she appeared in the music video for his song “Stereo” and tied the knot several years later in Italy. The pair has two children together, Luna and Miles. John’s biggest hit, the ballad “All of Me,” was written for his wife. It’s much beloved by fans.
  • John has collaborated with some high-profile artists in recent years, including Lauryn Hill, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, and many others. 
  • He also starred as the titular character in the concert version of the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC in April of 2018. He’s even appeared on Sesame Street. 
  • Legend is currently estimated to have a net worth of $75 million. 
  • Beyond music, Legend served as a judge on Duets, along with Kelly Clarkson and Robin Thicke, and has been the winning coach on The Voice against Blake Shelton.  
  • John has been nominated for 89 awards and has won 28. His accolades include BET awards, Grammys, an Oscar, an Emmy Award, a Tony Award, an Academy Award, and more. In fact, he’s the first African American man to have won an EGOT. Legend’s Oscar win was shared with Common, with whom he co-wrote the song “Glory” for the 2014 film Selma. It also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award.

John Legend: The Music 

John Legend has currently released seven studio albums. Below are the key details about each.

2004: Get Lifted

  • John’s debut album was released via GOOD Music, Sony Urban, and Columbia Records and included songs like “Used to Love U.”
  • The album was produced by Legend, Devo Springsteen, Dave Tozer, Kanye West, and will.i.am.
  • The record was certified 2x Platinum and won the 2006 Grammy for Best R&B Album, largely due to his single “Ordinary People.” It also won him Best New Artist and Best R&B Male Vocal Performer. 

2006: Once Again 

  • Legend’s sophomore record was produced by all of the artists who worked on his debut, as well as several others.
  • The album was another release from Kanye West’s GOOD Music label.
  • The record was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and its track “Heaven” won a Grammy.

2008: Evolver 

  • Evolver was crafted by a star-studded cast of producers, including Ne-Yo, Kanye West, Devo Springsteen, and others.
  • The record has been certified Gold by the RIAA.
  • This album features the hit single “Green Light,” which features Andre 3000, which was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the Grammys. 

2010: Wake Up 

In September of 2010, Legend released a collaborative album with the Roots, which also did well on the charts. It won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, as well as Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The album included singles with Melanie Fiona and rapper Common.

2013: Love in the Future

  • Considered Legend’s most successful album to date, Love in the Future features production work by Pharrell, Q-Tip, Jeff Bhasker, Kanye West, Travis Scott, and more.
  • The record was certified Gold in the US and hit No. 2 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

2016: Darkness and Light

  • Co-produced by former Dawes member Blake Mills, Darkness and Light was released via GOOD Music and Columbia Records. 
  • The record features a collaboration with Chance the Rapper.

2018: A Legendary Christmas 

John Legend self-produced this Christmas album, which was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance at the 2020 Grammys.

2020: Bigger Love 

John Legend’s most recent album features production by Anderson Paak, Ryan Tedder, Cautious Clay, Ricky Reed, and more.  The record won the Grammy for R&B Album of the Year and topped the UK R&B albums charts.   Sources: New Music: John Legend – 'All of Me' | Rap-Up John Legend to release "A Legendary Christmas" album | CBS News 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards | 2020 GRAMMYs

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