The Evolution of John Legend

John Legend is an Ivy League-educated artist and activist with the voice of an angel.This is how John Legend, born John Roger Stephens, went from a kid with a dream to an EGOT icon. John’s musical start began with piano lessons at age 4 to singing in the church choir by age 6. His parents supported his passions but stressed the importance of education. He pursued an Ivy league-education at the University of Pennsylvania. He juggled a job to pay the bills and spent all of his free time chasing his music dreams, which eventually paid off when he met Lauryn Hill. Hill hired him to play piano on ‘Everything Is Everything’ which launched him into the spotlight. In 2004, John was signed to Columbia Records. He credits his name change to spoken word poet J. Ivy for saying his voice was ‘legendary’ — thus becoming John Legend. ‘Ordinary People’ off his best received album ‘Get Lifted’ gained him worldwide recognition. During this time, Legend formed a friendship with Kanye West. The two artists collaborated together and Kanye eventually signed John to his music label 'GOOD Music.'John Legend’s life changed when he fell in love with model Chrissy Teigen during his music video ‘Stereo.’ The two became a dynamic duo, eventually marrying and raising two kids together. The couple is known for their funny banter and being politically active. He even wrote his viral hit ‘All Of Me’ about Chrissy. In 2018, John Legend secured EGOT status when he won an Emmy for his role in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ — making him 1 of 15 people and the only black man to have an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. John Legend then and now, is a musical icon that will be revered for decades to come.

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