Voices Carry

John Legend is an EGOT recipient; husband to Chrissy Teigen; the self-proclaimed King of Valentine’s Day; activist, and more, on a laundry list of accomplishments. And now, add ‘stylist for Esquire’ to the tab.

- Wayne Cheong

On my list of preferred ‘interview scenarios’, face-to-face ranks first. Then, conference-style. Then, through video chats, followed by e-mail correspondence.

Interviews conducted through the phone ranks bottom as I can’t see my sources. I cannot meet their eyes, I cannot ascertain their expressions; all I have is their voice and what they have to say. Quite literally, I have to take them at their word. This can prove even more frustrating, especially when the connection is bad.

But when my subject happens to be John Legend well, I grit my teeth and carpe that diem.

Before he was Legend, he was John Stephens, son of a seamstress and a factory worker. His childhood was spent in Springfield, Ohio; his musical calling fostered in a church, where he sang in the church choir at four and played the piano at seven.

He served as the musical director of UPenn’s a cappella group, Counterparts, and graduated magna cum laude. He worked as a management consultant and toiled at producing his own music. He pitched himself to record labels and eventually signed on with Kanye West’s label, GOOD Music. He also adopted the Legend stage name.

John Legend debuted Get Lifted, which won him three Grammys, in 2006. The streak continued with his collaborations with other musicians and with a follow-up album, Once Again. Legend eventually ended up as a coach for the singing competition, The Voice.