A 'Legend' Starts to Create His Own

12/14/2004 2:51 AM, Reuters
Rashaun Hall

Everyone from pop rockers John Mayer and Maroon5 to hip-hoppers Slum Village and Dilated Peoples wants to work with multiple Grammy Award nominee Kanye West.

So the fact that John Legend is the first artist signed to West's Getting Out Our Dreams (GOOD) says plenty about West's faith in Legend's talent.

The demos for Legend's album, "Get Lifted," due Dec. 28 from Sony Music-based GOOD, were actually completed long before Legend signed his deal with West.

"Timing is important," Legend (a.k.a. John Stephens) says of West's influence. "I was getting turned down by labels for the album that I am now releasing."

Legend began his career playing keyboards and singing backing vocals for such artists as Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears . However, it was his work on West's multiplatinum debut, "The College Dropout," that boosted his profile.

"Clearly, it gave me a lot of experience working with great artists on classic albums," Legend says. "Anytime you get that kind of experience, it will rub off on you. So I learned to make the best of those opportunities, and it helped me to make my project better.

"The exposure was great as well," he adds. "It all started to build excitement around my project for both consumers and labels. Kanye's album really got things going, and now here I come."

In addition to working on West's album, Legend's vocals have been featured on singles from Keys ("You Don't Know My Name"), Jay-Z ("Encore"), Slum Village ("Selfish") and Dilated Peoples ("This Way"), among others.

Legend recently made his solo debut with the single "Used to Love U." The song, co-written and produced by West, peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

"It truly was my introduction to the music world," Legend says. "It also reflects our movement on a number of levels, particularly with the hip-hop-meets-soul-meets-gospel vibe."

Legend worked with Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas for his current single, "Ordinary People."

"It's just the quintessential relationship song," Legend says. "My parents were divorced for 12 years, and they got back together. The song shows that there are ups and downs in any relationship."

Legend was first signed directly to Sony's Columbia label, but when GOOD got going, he shifted to West's imprint.

Sony capitalized on West's recent tour with Usher by putting Legend on the road with the two artists. He performed during West's set, as well as on club dates throughout that trek.

"We took advantage of him being on the road," Sony Urban Music GM Lisa Ellis says. "We wanted to maximize every moment we had for either field promo, street teams or marketing."

Touring has been the main component in getting the word out on Legend. He is currently on a college and small-venue tour in support of the album. Since he is a classically trained pianist, he often performs alone with just a keyboard.

The label has also scored various TV appearances for Legend, including "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Legend will also portray Stevie Wonder on an upcoming episode of "American Dreams."

The Wonder connection goes deeper. Legend covered his classic "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" for the Will Smith film "Hitch," opening in February. The song will be featured in the opening credits.

Legend's success to this point has come as a featured artist. However, he is quick to note that he wants to be remembered as more than a hook singer.

"I want to break that mold," Legend says. "And I did that by making a great album. However, if it doesn't do well, I will still just be the dude who sang this or that hook, and there are plenty of artists out there like that."

Reuters/Billboard