John Legend, real name John Roger Stephens, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist from Springfield, Ohio. He began his career playing piano for Lauryn Hill’s 1998 track “Everything is Everything”.
John Legend began working in the music industry right out of college in 1998 and was quickly introduced to up and coming rapper Kanye West. West signed Legend to his record label and hired the singer to sing hooks on his tracks.
In 2004, John Legend released his first studio album, “Get Lifted”, which debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard chart and eventually climbed to the number 4 spot. The album featured production from Kanye West, will.i.am and Dave Tozer. John Legend won three Grammy Awards in 2006 for his work on the album, with the single “Ordinary People” being the most successful track for the singer to date.
Legend teamed up again with Kaye West and will.i.am for his second studio album “Once Again”. The album repeated the success of his first album and secured the number three spot in the US charts. It also won the singer a further two Grammys.
In 2008 John Legend actively participated in Barrack Obama’s campaign for President. The singer contributed to a music video entitled “Yes We Can” which was produced by will.i.am. This activism fuelled John Legend’s desire to get actively involved with philanthropic issues and he has used his music to raise money for multiple causes since this time.
John Legend has won a total of nine Grammy Awards and his three most recent albums, “Evolver”, “Wake Up!” and “Love in the Future”, have all been top ten hits in the US. Legend’s first number one single in the US was platinum certified track “All of Me” from his 2013 album “Love in the Future”. The track is dedicated to his wife, Chrissy Teigen.
Bryson Tiller
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