John Legend
Biography
John Roger Stephens, known professionally as John Legend, was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He was a child prodigy whose grandmother taught him how to play the piano, and he grew up singing in the church choir. For several of his elementary school years, his parents homeschooled him. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on African-American literature. After graduating, he began working as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, while performing in nightclubs in New York City at night.
Career Beginnings
Legend began working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and singing backing vocals for artists like Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. In 2001, he was introduced to the then-up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West. West signed Legend to his G.O.O.D. Music label, and Legend adopted his stage name, given to him by poet J. Ivy for his "old-school sound". His debut album, "Get Lifted," was released in 2004 and was a critical and commercial success, fueled by the hit single "Ordinary People". The album earned him three Grammy Awards in 2006 for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Ordinary People".
Rise to Fame and Major Works
Legend's second album, "Once Again" (2006), continued his success, earning him another Grammy for the single "Heaven". His 2008 album, "Evolver," featured the popular song "Green Light". In 2013, he released "Love in the Future," which included the massive global hit "All of Me," a ballad dedicated to his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The song became his first number-one single in the United States. In 2014, Legend co-wrote the song "Glory" with rapper Common for the film "Selma". The song won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
EGOT Status
John Legend became the first African American man and one of the youngest people to achieve EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. He has won 12 Grammy Awards. He won an Academy Award in 2015 for "Glory". In 2017, he received a Tony Award for co-producing the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play "Jitney". He completed the EGOT in 2018 with an Emmy Award for his role as a producer on "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert".
Personal Life
Legend met model Chrissy Teigen in 2006 on the set of his music video for the song "Stereo". They married in Como, Italy, on September 14, 2013. The couple has four children: daughters Luna and Esti, and sons Miles and Wren. They have been open about their use of in vitro fertilization for their first three children and the use of a surrogate for their fourth. In 2020, they experienced the loss of a son, Jack, due to pregnancy complications.