John Legend facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Legend
Legend in 2019
Born	John Roger Stephens (1978-12-28) December 28, 1978 (age 46) Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania (BA)
Occupation	Singer songwriter pianist record producer actor
Years active	1998–present
Works	Discography filmography production
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Chrissy Teigen ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	4
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul neo soul
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards guitar
Labels	Republic Columbia GOOD Sony Urban

John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is a super talented American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He started his music journey working behind the scenes for other artists. He played piano for Lauryn Hill and sang backup for stars like Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.

John Legend was the very first artist to sign with Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music. Through this label, he released his first album, Get Lifted (2004). This album became a top ten hit and featured his first popular song, "Ordinary People".

He has won many awards, including 12 Grammy Awards! In 2015, he won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his song "Glory" with Common, which was in the movie Selma.

John Legend is also one of the few people to have won an EGOT. This means he has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He was the first Black male and second youngest person to achieve this amazing feat in 2018. Since 2019, he has also been a coach on the TV show The Voice.

Early Life and Education

John Roger Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He is the oldest of four children. His mother was a seamstress, and his father worked in a factory. Music was a big part of his family. His dad played drums, his mom sang in and led the church choir, and his grandmother played the church organ.

John Legend started playing the piano when he was just four years old. By age seven, he was singing with his church choir. He was a very smart student and skipped two grades in school.

When he was 12, he started North High School in Springfield, Ohio. He graduated as the second-best student in his class. At 15, he won an essay contest by McDonald's about how he planned to make Black history as a successful musician.

At 16, he went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. There, he led a jazz and pop singing group called the Counterparts. His singing on their song "One of Us" was very popular. While at college, he met Lauryn Hill and played piano on her song "Everything Is Everything". He graduated in 1999 with a degree in English.

Career

Starting His Music Journey

After college, John Legend worked as a business consultant. But he also started making his own music. He released two albums by himself, selling them at his shows. He then began sending his music to different record labels.

In 2001, he met Kanye West, who was becoming a big hip-hop artist. Kanye West hired John Legend to sing on his songs. After signing with Kanye's label, he got his stage name, John Legend. A poet named J. Ivy told him, "You sound like one of the legends!" The name stuck, and soon everyone, including Kanye West, called him John Legend.

First Album and Grammy Wins (2004–2007)

John Legend released his first official album, Get Lifted, in December 2004. It was a big success, selling over 116,000 copies in its first week. The album was loved by critics and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2006. John Legend also won two other Grammys that year: Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his song "Ordinary People".

In the years that followed, John Legend worked with many other artists. He also appeared on Sesame Street in 2006, singing a duet with Hoots the Owl. He performed at the Super Bowl XL and the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

In October 2006, his second album, Once Again, came out. John Legend helped write and produce most of the songs. This album also did very well, reaching number three on the Billboard 200 chart. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, his song "Heaven" won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Evolver and New Collaborations (2008–2010)

Legend performing at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania in 2009

In January 2008, John Legend sang in a video for Barack Obama called "Yes We Can". Later that year, he released his third album, Evolver. He named it Evolver because he wanted to show that he was always trying new things and growing as an artist. The album's first song, "Green Light" featuring André 3000, was a big hit.

In 2009, John Legend teamed up with the hip-hop band the Roots to make a special album together called Wake Up!. It was released in September 2010. This album won three Grammys in 2011, including Best R&B Album.

Love in the Future and "All of Me" (2011–2015)

Legend at the Citi Presents: Evenings with Legends show in 2014

In 2011, John Legend went on a big tour with the British band Sade. He also started working on his next album, Love in the Future. He wanted to create a modern soul album that felt classic but new.

He released Love in the Future on September 3, 2013. The album's third song, "All of Me", became a huge worldwide hit! It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for three weeks. The song is a beautiful ballad dedicated to his wife, Chrissy Teigen.

In 2014, John Legend worked with rapper Common to write the song "Glory" for the movie Selma. This powerful song won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar! They performed "Glory" at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

He also sang "America the Beautiful" at the opening ceremony of Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.

Recent Years (2016–Present)

John Legend released his album Darkness and Light in December 2016. It included songs with Chance the Rapper and Miguel.

In 2017, he and Ariana Grande sang a duet of the famous "Beauty and the Beast" song for the live-action movie. He also voiced the main character, Crow, in the animated short film Crow: The Legend.

Legend during an interview in 2019

In 2018, John Legend starred as Jesus Christ in a live TV musical production of Jesus Christ Superstar. His role as a producer for this show helped him achieve his amazing EGOT status.

In May 2019, John Legend became the winning coach on The Voice with his artist Maelyn Jarmon. In 2020, he released his album Bigger Love, which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

In 2021, he signed with Republic Records. In 2022, he released his eighth album, Legend. He continues to be a popular coach on The Voice.

Helping Others

John Legend is also known for his kindness and for helping others. He has supported many causes, especially those related to education and justice.

In 2007, he started his Show Me Campaign. This campaign helps people in need, especially in places affected by poverty. He has worked with organizations to promote sustainable development, which means helping communities grow in ways that can last a long time.

He joined the board of Teach For America in 2010, an organization that helps improve education. He also supports groups like the Education Equality Project.

In 2014, John Legend started the FREEAMERICA campaign. This project works to improve the justice system in the United States. He believes in giving people second chances and helping them after they have been in prison.

In 2017, he gave $500,000 to the Springfield City School District to fix up an auditorium. This auditorium is now named the John Legend Theater in his honor.

Personal Life

John Legend met model Chrissy Teigen in 2006 when she was in his music video for the song "Stereo". They got engaged in December 2011 and were married on September 14, 2013, in Italy. His famous song "All of Me" is dedicated to her. They have four children together.

Discography

Studio albums

• Get Lifted (2004)
• Once Again (2006)
• Evolver (2008)
• Wake Up! (with the Roots) (2010)
• Love in the Future (2013)
• Darkness and Light (2016)
• A Legendary Christmas (2018)
• Bigger Love (2020)
• Legend (2022)
• My Favorite Dream (2024)

Tours and Residencies

Headlining tours

• Get Lifted Tour (2005)
• Once Again Tour (2007)
• Evolver Tour (2009)
• Love in the Future World Tour (2014)
• Darkness and Light World Tour (2017)
• A Legendary Christmas Tour (2018–19)
• Bigger Love Tour (2021)
• An Evening with John Legend (2023)

Residencies

• Love in Las Vegas (held at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas) (2022)

Filmography

Television Shows

Movies

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: John Legend para niños