The man behind the Legend
Despite all his success, prolific singer enjoys proving his musical relevance
John Legend may have several Grammys and achieved the rare EGOT status, but the prolific singer still feels the need to prove himself.
That's one of the reasons Legend cut back on travelling early last year to devote more time toward the writing process of his self-titled eighth studio album, Legend, released earlier this month. It's the first double album project of Legend's extraordinary career, which achieved new heights in 2018 when he became the first Black man to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. After all his accolades, Legend still feels motivated to deliver fresh content inspired by wife Chrissy Teigen and heartbreak after their pregnancy loss a couple years ago. She recently announced she was expecting another baby.
Q What made you want to do a double album?
A I've never done a double album before, and I was always reluctant because it's a lot of material for a fan to digest. But these are separate albums, with different moods. A lot of this album is joyful, celebratory, fun and sexy. But particularly on the second disc, we talk a little bit more about what it feels like to struggle and try to come back from a struggle, what it feels like to deal with challenges and how you make it through that together. Some of those songs are written as songs of comfort, as we were dealing with some tough circumstances in our lives.
Q For this album, how did Chrissy inspire your music?
A Quite a few of the songs are inspired by Chrissy. But also, I want them to be songs that you can dedicate to the women in your lives. Whenever I'm writing songs that are inspired by my own life and my own love and my own family, I want it to feel like you can find a way to apply that to your own life. I think particularly when I'm seeing the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth and all those things and knowing how difficult it is for someone carrying a pregnancy, you must marvel at the women in our lives and give them the honour that they're due.
Q You, Usher, Bruno Mars and other big artists have had a residency in Las Vegas. How has the perception of Vegas changed for major acts over the years?
A I think people used to look at it as kind of like this is your swan song. This is your retirement residency. But I think of late you really see a lot of artists still in their prime doing it. Some of my favourite artists like Usher, Bruno, Anderson .Paak and so many great kinds of younger artists, but still with enough repertoire to sustain the show are doing it. I think it's a great way in the middle of our careers to say we're so grateful for everything that has come before us. We're going to celebrate that. But also, I've been previewing songs from the new album as well.
Q After achieving EGOT status, what keeps you driven?
A I don't think about awards as accomplishments I'm trying to achieve. I think about every album and every project that I make that I must prove myself to my fans.
I have to prove myself to the world every single time, so I don't take anything for granted. I don't rest on my previous accomplishments. I must prove myself with the music with the creativity and the product that we give people. If we don't do that, then I'll just be kind of a forgotten artist. A has been. I want to keep proving myself to them every single time.