Ivy stated, "I heard your music and it reminds me of that music from the old school. Ivy, due to what he perceived as an "old-school sound". After signing to West's label, he chose his stage name from an idea that was given to him by poet J. In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Legend to Kanye West, then an up-and-coming hip-hop artist Legend was hired to sing during the hooks of West's music. He subsequently began working on his demo and began sending his work to various record labels. He released two albums independently: his self-titled demo (2000) and Live at Jimmy's Uptown (2001), which he sold at his shows.
Career Career beginnings Īfter graduating from college, Legend worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and began producing, writing, and recording his own music. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis on African-American literature in 1999. Hill hired him to play piano on " Everything Is Everything", a song from her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. While in college, Legend was introduced to Lauryn Hill by a friend. Legend was also a member of the Sphinx Senior Society and Onyx Senior Honor Society. His lead vocals on the group's recording of Joan Osborne's " One of Us" (written by fellow Penn alum Eric Bazilian of the Hooters) received critical acclaim, landing the song on the track list of the 1998 Best of Collegiate a Cappella compilation CD. Legend was offered admission to Harvard University and scholarships to Georgetown University and Morehouse College he ultimately decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania.Īt college, Legend served as the president and musical director of the co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group the Counterparts. At the age of 15, Legend won a Black History Month essay competition run by McDonalds, following the prompt "How do you intend to make Black history?" with an essay about how he intended to be a successful musician, according to an interview on the Carlos Watson Show. Īt the age of 12, Legend attended North High School in Springfield, Ohio, from which he graduated as salutatorian of his class four years later. Because of his academic talent, he skipped two grades.
At the age of 7, he performed with his church choir. His father was a drummer, while "his mother sang and directed the church choir, and his grandmother was the church organist." In 2004, Legend stated that his parents were divorced for 12 years before reuniting. He is one of four children of Phyllis Elaine (née Lloyd), a seamstress, and Ronald Lamar Stephens, a factory worker at International Harvester (now Navistar). Legend was born John Roger Stephens on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio.
Legend's single " All of Me" from his fourth studio album Love in the Future (2013) was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit.
Legend has sung on Jay-Z's " Encore", Alicia Keys's " You Don't Know My Name", Dilated Peoples' "This Way", Slum Village's "Selfish", Fort Minor's "High Road", and played piano on Lauryn Hill's " Everything Is Everything". Prior to the release of Legend's debut album Get Lifted (2004), he collaborated with already-established artists and signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music. John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer.
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