Multi Platinum artist and activist John Legend made history as the first African American man to join the prestigious EGOT club. The 12-time GRAMMY Award-winner released his seventh studio album, Bigger Love, in 2020 and wrapped his nationwide Bigger Love Tour in October 2021. Legend is currently a judge on the Emmy-nominated show, The Voice, and a principal in Get Lifted Film Co. As an activist, Legend initiated the #FREEAMERICA campaign in 2015 to change the conversation surrounding criminal justice policies and to end mass incarceration.
Legend began his musical career by working behind the scenes; playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything”, and making uncredited guest appearances on Jay-Z’s “Encore”, and Alicia Keys’s “You Don’t Know My Name”. He then signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music and released his debut album Get Lifted (2004), which reached the top ten on the Billboard 200, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album earned him eight nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, including nominations for the singles “So High” with Lauryn Hill and “Ordinary People”, with the latter song winning for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, while also earning him awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. His second studio album Once Again (2006), spawned the single “Save Room”, and became his second top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart. The lead single from his third album Evolver (2008), “Green Light” featuring André 3000, reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In June 2008, he released the live album John Legend: Live from Philadelphia.
Legend would later collaborate with The Roots on the album Wake Up! (2010). His fourth studio album Love in the Future (2013), spawned the single “All of Me”, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been certified 13× platinum by the RIAA. In 2015, he was featured on the single “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor, which reached the top ten in the U.S. Legend has since released the albums Darkness and Light (2016), A Legendary Christmas (2018), and Bigger Love (2020).
In 2007, Legend received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Legend won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award in 2015 for co-writing the song “Glory” from the film Selma. He has received a total of twelve Grammy Awards. In 2017, Legend won a Tony Award for co-producing Jitney for the Broadway stage. In 2018, Legend portrayed Jesus Christ in NBC’s adaptation of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his acting role, and won for his role as a producer of the show, making him the first black man and second youngest person to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). Legend is also the recipient of the NAACP’s President’s Award. Since 2019, Legend has been featured as a coach on The Voice.
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