John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), professionally known as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his music career by working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s song “Everything Is Everything,” and performing as an uncredited backing vocalist on Jay-Z’s “Encore” and Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name.” He was the first artist to sign with rapper Kanye West’s record label, GOOD Music, through which he released his debut studio album, Get Lifted (2004). The album’s first single, “Ordinary People,” helped the album reach the top ten of the Billboard 200 and earn double platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, Legend won three Grammy Awards out of eight nominations. “Ordinary People” won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Get Lifted won Best R&B Album, and Legend won Best New Artist. The album’s final single, “So High” (remixed with Lauryn Hill), was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. His second album, Once Again (2006), was also successful, supported by the lead single “Save Room.” His third album, Evolver (2008), included a funk-inspired lead single, “Green Light” (featuring André 3000), which reached the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the RIAA. That same year, Legend released a live album, John Legend: Live from Philadelphia (2008), and later collaborated with the Philadelphia-based hip hop band Roots on the album Wake Up! (2010).

Legend’s fourth studio album, Love in the Future (2013), was introduced with the hit single “All of Me.” The pop ballad became his most commercially successful song, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100, spending 23 consecutive weeks in the chart’s top ten, and earning diamond (14× platinum) certification by the RIAA. In 2015, he performed with Meghan Trainor on her single “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” which reached number seven on the chart. The following year, he released his fifth album, Darkness and Light (2016), and left GOOD Music. Since then, Legend has released A Legendary Christmas (2018), Bigger Love (2020)—which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album—and his ninth album, Legend (2022).

Throughout his career, Legend has won 12 Grammy Awards. In 2007, he received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for his 2015 song “Glory” (with Common), which was featured in the film Selma. He also received the NAACP’s President’s Award in 2016. In Broadway, Legend won a Tony Award for co-producing the play Jitney (2017) and portrayed the main character in NBC’s adaptation of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (2018). He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for acting and won the award for producing a show, becoming the first Black male and second youngest person to win all four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) in 2018. Legend has also been a vocal coach on the reality competition series The Voice for 11 seasons, starting with its sixteenth season in 2019. He became the show’s senior coach after Blake Shelton left in 2023. Since 2025, he has served as the Chief Music Officer for the company Headspace.

Early life and education

John Roger Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He is the second oldest of four children. His mother, Phyllis Elaine (born Lloyd), works as a seamstress, and his father, Ronald Lamar Stephens, is a factory worker at International Harvester. His father played the drums, his mother sang and led the church choir, and his grandmother played the organ at church.

In 2004, Legend said his parents were divorced for 12 years before they got back together. He was homeschooled by his mother. He started playing the piano when he was 4 years old. At age 7, he performed with his church choir. Because he was very good at school, he skipped two grades.

At age 12, Legend began attending North High School in Springfield, Ohio, and graduated with the second-highest honor. At age 15, he won a Black History Month essay contest organized by McDonald's. His essay answered the question, "How do you intend to make Black history?" by explaining his goal to become a successful musician.

At age 16, he started studying at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. There, he led the music and directed the co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group called the Counterparts. His singing on the group's version of Joan Osborne's song "One of Us" received praise and was included in a 1998 music collection. He was also part of the Sphinx Senior Society and Onyx Senior Honor Society at the university. While at Penn, a friend introduced him to singer Lauryn Hill, who hired him to play piano on the song "Everything Is Everything" from Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. He graduated with high honors in English, focusing on African-American literature, in 1999.

Career

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Stephens worked as a business advisor at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and began creating, writing, and recording his own music. He released two albums independently: his self-titled demo (2000) and Live at Jimmy's Uptown (2001), which he sold at his live performances. He later began working on a demo tape and sent his music to different record labels.

In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Stephens to Kanye West, a rising hip-hop artist. Stephens was hired to help write or perform parts of West’s songs. After signing with West’s record label, GOOD Music, Stephens chose his stage name based on an idea from poet J. Ivy. Ivy said, “Your music reminds me of old-school music. You sound like one of the legends. I will call you John Legend.” When Ivy continued using the name, others, including West, started calling him “John Legend” as well. Although Stephens was not eager to use a stage name, he eventually announced his new artist name as John Legend.

Legend released his first studio album, Get Lifted, through GOOD Music in a partnership with Sony BMG’s Columbia Records in December 2004. The album included music produced by Kanye West, Dave Tozer, and will.i.am. It reached number seven on the US Billboard 200 and sold 116,000 copies in its first week. It sold 540,300 copies in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, Get Lifted reached number one in Norway and entered the top ten in the Netherlands and Sweden, selling 850,000 copies worldwide. The album won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and earned Legend two other awards: Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It included four singles, such as “Used to Love U,” which charted in New Zealand and the UK, and “Ordinary People,” which won a Grammy and reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Legend also co-wrote Janet Jackson’s song “I Want You,” which was certified platinum and received a Grammy nomination.

In the years following Get Lifted, Legend appeared on albums by Fort Minor, Sérgio Mendes, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, the Black Eyed Peas, Stephen Colbert, Rich Boy, MSTRKRFT, Chemistry, and Fergie, among others. He also planned to record with Michael Jackson for a future album, for which he had written one song. In August 2006, Legend performed on Sesame Street, singing a duet with Hoots the Owl called “It Feels Good When You Sing a Song.” He also performed during the pregame show of Super Bowl XL in Detroit and the halftime show of the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

In October 2006, Legend released his second album, Once Again. He co-wrote and co-produced most of the album, working again with Kanye West, will.i.am, and Dave Tozer, as well as other producers. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA and received gold certifications in Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, the song “Heaven” won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and the lead single “Save Room” was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. That same year, Legend won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for his cover of “Family Affair,” a collaboration with Sly & the Family Stone, Joss Stone, and Van Hunt.

In January 2008, Legend sang in a video for Barack Obama, created by will.i.am called “Yes We Can.” Later that year, he had a singing-only role in the movie Soul Men, where he played the deceased lead singer of a fictional soul group. In October 2008, he released his third album, Evolver. Legend explained that the album’s name reflected his desire to keep growing and trying new things in his career. The album’s first single, “Green Light,” featuring rapper Andre 3000, was his highest-charting single since “Ordinary People” and was nominated for a Grammy. In March 2008, Legend performed “America the Beautiful” for WWE’s WrestleMania XXIV in front of 74,635 people.

In 2009, Legend performed in The People Speak, a documentary that features musical performances of letters, diaries, and speeches by everyday Americans. That same year, he and the Roots recorded a collaborative album, Wake Up!, which was released in 2010. The first single from the album, “Wake Up Everybody,” featured Melanie Fiona and Common. In November 2010, Legend appeared on Kanye West’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, singing on the track “Blame Game.” In February 2011, Legend won three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song for “Shine,” Best R&B Album, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “Hang On in There” with the Roots. He also won two NAACP Image Awards for Wake Up! and for Outstanding Duo, Group, or Collaboration.

In 2011, songwriter Anthony Stokes sued Legend in a US court, claiming that the song “Maxine’s Interlude” from Legend’s 2006 album Once Again was based on Stokes’ earlier demo, “Where Are You Now.” Stokes said he had given Legend the demo in 2004 after a concert. Legend denied the claim, stating he had never heard of Stokes’ song and would not steal music. A poll on TMZ.com showed that 65% of voters believed “Maxine’s Interlude” was similar to Stokes’ song. Legend later settled the lawsuit without revealing the details.

Also in 2011, Legend joined British soul band Sade on a 50-date tour. During a performance in San Diego, he mentioned working on a new album and played a song called “Dreams.” Later, he announced the album’s title as Love in the Future, which he co-produced with Kanye West and Dave Tozer, the same team behind his previous albums. Legend said the album aimed to explore new musical directions.

Philanthropy

In 2005, John Legend performed a benefit concert in Springfield, Ohio, to support a tax increase for the Springfield City School District. In May 2007, Legend worked with Tide laundry detergent to help families in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, an area heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina. He spent a day folding laundry at Tide’s mobile laundromat and visited homes being rebuilt by Tide in that community. On July 7, 2007, Legend performed the song “Ordinary People” at the Live Earth concert in London. After reading Professor Jeffrey Sachs’ book The End of Poverty, Legend started the Show Me Campaign in 2007. This campaign encouraged fans to support residents in Bosaso Village, Somalia, and non-profit organizations joined the effort.

In early 2008, Legend toured with Alexus Ruffin and Professor Jeff Sachs of Columbia University’s Earth Institute to promote sustainable development. He spoke at the Millennium Campus Conference and joined the Board of Advisors for the Millennium Campus Network (MCN). Legend helped MCN programs by providing online support and funding internships through the Show Me Campaign. In 2009, Legend allowed AIDS Service Center NYC to remix his song “If You’re Out There” to create a music video promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and testing.

On January 22, 2010, Legend performed “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” on the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. On September 8, 2010, he joined the national board of Teach For America. He also serves on the boards of the Education Equality Project, the Harlem Village Academies, and Stand for Children. He is a member of the Harlem Village Academies’ National Leadership Board. On September 9, 2010, Legend performed “Coming Home” on The Colbert Report as a tribute to U.S. military personnel. In 2011, Legend contributed the song “Love I’ve Never Known” to the Red Hot Organization’s album Red Hot+Rio 2, which supports efforts to fight AIDS/HIV and related issues.

On March 6, 2012, Legend was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Later that year, he visited Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for a surprise performance as part of the Get Well Soon Tour. On June 1, 2013, Legend performed at Gucci’s global concert in London, which supports awareness of women’s issues. At a press event before his performance, Legend said, “All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights, the world will be a better place.”

In 2014, Legend created the FREEAMERICA campaign to help reform the U.S. prison system. He also supported Florida Amendment 4 in 2018, which restored voting rights to people with felony convictions. In 2016, Legend signed a letter to the United Nations calling for a more humane drug policy, along with figures like Richard Branson and Jane Fonda. In 2017, Legend donated $500,000 to renovate an auditorium in Springfield, Ohio, named after him. He performed at the John Legend Theater on October 9, 2016. In 2018, Legend starred in an animated virtual-reality film titled Crow: The Legend, which tells a Native American origin story with Oprah Winfrey. He also supports FUSE Corps, an organization that works to reduce racial inequality.

Personal life

In 2006, Legend met model Chrissy Teigen while filming the music video for his song "Stereo." They became engaged in December 2011 and married on September 14, 2013, in Como, Italy. His 2013 song "All of Me" was written for her. The couple has four children: a daughter born in April 2016, a son born in May 2018, a daughter born in January 2023, and a son born in June 2023. Their first three children were conceived through in vitro fertilization. Their fourth child was born through surrogacy.

In 2020, the couple was expecting a third child, but Teigen lost the baby at twenty weeks due to a pregnancy complication. Media described the loss as a late miscarriage. In 2022, Teigen clarified that the loss was "an abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance."

On the PBS series Finding Your Roots, it was determined that Legend's genetic makeup is 64% African, 32% European, and 4% Native American.

Legend supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

Discography

• 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

• 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)
• Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour (2025)

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