Of all the places you might expect to find John Legend, an innocuous co-working space in central London is pretty far down the list. Yet, on an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon, this is the venue the singer has been corralled into, somehow making his way past workers on their lunch break, playing ping pong, gathered by the coffee machine or savouring the last bites of their Pret lunches.
“I’m great!” beams 45-year-old Legend as he enters a clinically trendy meeting room, all good manners and seasoned professionalism. One imagines a celebrity of his stature (that is: 10 million albums sold, 16 million Instagram followers hooked on his every move) might prefer the view of a king-sized bed in a palatial hotel room over the quasi-inspirational artwork that hangs on the walls — not least because he arrived in the capital only three hours ago and has a gig tonight, the latest stop on his two-year An Evening with John Legend tour. During the tour, he was joined in Ohio by family members for a rendition of I Don’t Have to Change from his debut album Get Lifted, the 20 year anniversary edition of which, is released next month (December 20).
For many, this is the overriding image of Legend (born John Roger Stephens) — sitting at a grand piano, wearing a tux and surrounded by loved ones. Most people know him as a wholesome family man. A doting husband and father of four, who croons his way to the top of the charts with sentimental ballads such as 2013’s All of Me, dedicated to his wife of 11 years, model and Insta-juggernaut Chrissy Teigen. He is, without exaggeration, one of the most accomplished musicians of his generation, with 12 Grammys, two Emmys, an Oscar and a Tony to prove it. Yes, that makes him an EGOT. No, the list of accolades doesn’t end there.
But we’ll get on to all that later. Because, given the results of the recent US election, it would be remiss to not also discuss his political credentials. This is a man who spent his teens reading about civil rights heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr and, at 15, wrote a self-prophesying essay that vowed to make Black history. How? By becoming “a successful recording artist” who uses his platform to “fight for change and justice”, he says. “And I’ve been trying to be that person since then.”
Sure enough, he endorsed Barack Obama in 2008, played at his inauguration and, galvanised by the campaign’s “Yes We Can” energy, released Wake Up!, an album of protest songs with The Roots, in 2010. He’s the founder of the non-profit FreeAmerica, which aims to reform the US prison system, and regularly rails against injustice, be it food insecurity or the overturning of Roe v Wade. Both he and Teigen have gladly made enemies of newly re-elected president Donald Trump, who once referred to the couple as the “boring musician and his filthy-mouthed wife”.
Any enemy of Trump’s is, I feel, on the right side of history
Legend smiles at the mention of that last point. “We have such contempt for his character and his values that we always felt it was a badge of honour to be people he didn’t like,” he says, underscoring his pride with emphatic hand gestures. “Any enemy of his, I feel, is on the right side of history.”
No prizes for guessing that Legend was on Team Kamala, then. He campaigned for her, as he did for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Elizabeth Warren in 2020. “It’s ridiculous that we’ve gone this long without a woman being president of the United States. Britain’s had female prime ministers, so have many countries around the world — our neighbour to the south, Mexico, just elected their first female president,” he says, gaining momentum. “Women are half the world, they provide a different perspective and experience.” Any right-minded person would agree. But as it transpires, America was not ready. Not just for a female president, but a Black woman president, no doubt a consequence of the nation’s fraught racial divisions that have only been exacerbated by Trump.
But we’re not actually meeting to discuss the election. Legend is in London for a show to promote two milestone releases. The first, My Favorite Dream, dropped in late summer and marks his music for children debut, even featuring a track with vocals from Teigen and their eldest children, Luna, eight, and Miles, six — ah, there’s that wholesome family man again. The whole thing may sound a bit twee, but with production by Sufjan Stevens and Legend’s old-soul vocals, it’s a record that still has the potential to charm adult listeners. Besides, following the couple’s highly-publicised miscarriage in 2020 and the subsequent arrival of their two youngest children, Esti and Wren, in 2023, for Legend, the album serves a greater purpose.
“When we posted about the miscarriage, we were going through deep grief and I wasn’t sure about us sharing photos of that,” says Legend. “But Chrissy really thought it was the right thing to do, and she was right. I think Chrissy, along with others, has been able to help open a conversation about this issue that so many women have to deal with in silence and with some shame.”
Now, though, with My Favorite Dream, the Legend household is sharing a more hopeful message about overcoming grief and bonding as a family. “It’s a lot easier when you have two new little babies that bring so much joy and excitement to the house,” he beams. “They brought so many smiles and laughs to our faces, and really inspired me to make this new album.”
A quick glance at either Legend or Teigen’s social media profiles provides proof of all those smiles. See comedic vlogs of their kids cooking with Teigen, or videos of them attempting to keep up with Legend behind the piano. “Chrissy and I are comfortable being our authentic selves in public,” says Legend of the family’s online presence. “And we don’t share everything. We know there’s certain things that are for us and for our family.”
Still, there’s no way to predict the tide of online opinion. Teigen learned that the hard way in 2021, when she was briefly “cancelled” after Courtney Stodden accused her of online bullying in 2011. Surely that must have been pretty scary? “Yeah, it was difficult,” says Legend. “She had to really deal with it. Even though I was right there supporting her, no one can understand what it feels like.” It clearly hasn’t deterred the couple from posting, though. When it comes to online hate, it’s simply a matter of “putting it in perspective,” says the singer. “Sometimes you’ve just got to take a break from it, turn it off and know that the people in your life love you. As much as social media is a part of our lives, we don’t let it dominate and make us forget what really matters in life.” Rest assured, Legend’s family values won’t be disappearing from our feeds any time soon.
Such scenes of domestic bliss are a lifetime away from the portrait of Legend painted on his debut album Get Lifted, which turns 20 in December. A remaster is on the way to celebrate the occasion, complete with remixes and “special guests”. “I’m excited for people to hear what we’ve done to connect what we did 20 years ago to what’s happening now,” he says. Does that mean joining the dots between Legend’s current persona and the 26-year-old playboy who made infidelity sound sexy on tracks such as She Don’t Have to Know? The tender lyricism of Ordinary People may have been the rocket fuel that launched his career into the stratosphere, but let’s not forget the songs about flirting, cheating and then grovelling your way out when you get caught.
Legend laughs. “I joke about it, but I think every album is supposed to reflect where you are in your life at that time,” he says, diplomatically. “And each album should also reflect your growth as a person. Get Lifted was right for me at that time..” Fair enough. But what of the other elephant-in-the-room on the record, Kanye West? The impact he had on Legend’s early career is arguably immeasurable. After being introduced in college, they worked together on demos which would eventually evolve into each of their debut albums; Get Lifted was the first release on the rapper’s label GOOD Music. West, so the story goes, was even the person who nicknamed the singer “Legend”.
I’m still concerned about Kanye. I hope he’s doing well
These days, the pair are not so close. In 2018, West published text messages from Legend asking him to “reconsider aligning [himself] with Trump”. Legend has always maintained, however, that their relationship only became strained after he refused to support West’s own presidential campaign in 2020. Since then, the rapper has further polluted his public image, following a series of antisemitic statements in 2022, which led to West swiftly being dropped from multiple brand deals. “I didn’t recognise that person,” says Legend, stiffening up a little at the mention of West’s comments. “It made me concerned about whatever mental health struggles he was going through. And I’m still concerned about him. I hope he’s doing well, and is learning and growing from the mistakes he made.” Despite their political differences, the singer remains gracious and empathetic towards his old collaborator. “I’m always grateful for Kanye’s role in my life. I truly love and appreciate him, and I want the best for him.”
Perhaps it’s this attitude of gratitude and genuine care for others that’s helped Legend’s career stand the test of time. It’s one thing to reach the top, quite another to stay there for two decades. The musician has previously spoken of feeling awkward when he first began introducing himself as John Legend all those years ago, aware that the hubristic stage name was a tall order to fill. Surely now, though, with that stacked awards cabinet, he must feel he’s earned the moniker?
“I never say I’ve lived up to it, I always say I’m trying to live up to it,” he says, with a sheepish smile. Still, there’s a twinkle in his eye that indicates that maybe — deep down, at least — John Legend knows he’ll go down in history.
Get Lifted (20th anniversary edition) is out on December 20
