John Legend- More Than A Sex Symbol

Story by Ivory M. Jones 
Images by Maya Guez for Steed Media Service.

IT’s a chilly Monday morning in a studio at Sony Records in midtown Manhattan. As with most New York City mornings, the hustle and bustle of the outside world often makes its way inside. Yet this morning’s different. An invisible electric current is pulsing silently across the floor as everyone prepares for the arrival of one of the label’s top R&B acts, crooner John Legend. The camera crew and makeup artist are on stand-by for his arrival, while an employee handles the task of steaming the wardrobe he will wear for his shoot. With the stage set and his fashionable gear prepped and ready, there’s nothing left to do but await the man of the hour. The anticipation builds as the minutes tick by.

Then finally, he arrives, the picture of serenity and calm in the midst of the barely contained and slightly frenetic energy. Although it’s the day before the release of his third album, Evolver, Legend, née John Stephens, appears decidedly collected and confident. Not that he has anything to worry about. Since making his major label debut in 2004 with his chart-topping album, Get Lifted, Legend has seemingly been on a fast track to success, racking up critical acclaim and a host of awards and accolades along the way, including five Grammy Awards.
Smiling and greeting everyone along the way, Legend quickly dips into hair and makeup, changing into the handpicked wardrobe his stylist picked out. Walking into the room, he strides over to the photographer’s backdrop and it’s obvious to everyone that John Legend is —as he croons in his current hit single, “Green Light” — ready to go.

Between takes, he acknowledges that “Green Light,” his infectious, electro-inspired collaboration with Andre 3000 is a slight departure from the more laid-back sound that fans have come to expect from him. In fact, he explains that the entire album might throw people for a loop if they are expecting the same ol’, same ol’ from him.

“The tempo of the entire album is faster than I’ve done before but the fans will still recognize it as me,” he says. “Evolver definitely has a more contemporary feel than my last albums.” The aural shift was a natural progression for the Ohio native that came about as a result of his collaborations with Kanye West, Brandy, Estelle and Pharrell. “When you go into the studio, you just open yourself up. I worked with great producers and great co-writers and just went in there and tried to make great music and did what felt natural and this album was what it was,” explains the 29-year-old who turns 30 in December.

Evolver also marks one of the first times that Legend relinquished some of the songwriting duties on his album. “I kind of yielded the reins a little bit to … other songwriters that I really respect [and] whose work I love anyway, so it wasn’t that hard because they’re really talented people and they gave me great songs,” he says. While he was confident in the skills of those he worked with on Evolver, he admits that it was a different experience for him.

“It is a bit of a pride thing because you’re used to writing everything on your own or writing the majority of it,” Legend confesses. “I still wrote the vast majority of the album, but it was cool to kind of cede control a little bit to people who have earned the right to do that.”

Although his sound has changed ever-so-slightly, Legend’s fans need not worry about him straying far from the topic that’s dominated his previous efforts — love and relationships. “It’s Over,” which features Kanye West and was produced by Pharrell, is described as a “celebratory” breakup song. “Sometimes you’ve got to just end it. You can’t keep calling and you can’t keep seeing the person. You’ve just got to cut the ties; it’s done,” he explains of the potential second hit single.

“Good Morning” is another love song that Legend knows will appeal to his audience. The sexy cut is also one of his favorite songs on Evolver. “It’s about morning sex,” he laughingly admits. “You’re with somebody you love, you had a nice night and you might not want her to leave in the morning. ‘Don’t go to work just yet.’ That’s what the song is about.”

Tackling the subject of love and relationships has made the smooth crooner a hit with female fans, a perk that he admittedly enjoys. “When I’m on stage, I want to feel like a sex symbol. It gives you that extra swagger. It gives you that extra confidence that you need when you go out there. You want to hear the women screaming [and] going crazy,” the heartthrob confesses with a sly smile. “I’m not walking around like I’m always a sex symbol, but when I’m on stage, I eat it up. It feels good.”

Being on stage is obviously when the ivory-tickling performer is in his zone. Whether he’s belting out his heartfelt hit single “Ordinary People,” or guiding a lucky audience member onto the stage for a dance, Legend puts his all into each show. In fact, he admits that his recording process is shaped by performing. “I make these records so that I can go out and tour. I don’t look at them as just records,” he emphasizes. “And for me, I love having a body of work — three albums now — where I can go and play those songs live for the people.” Though he makes each performance seem effortless, a lot of effort goes into prepping for each show.

“We’ve got a band of great musicians … and we spend a lot of energy and time in coming up with the perfect order for a show, the perfect way to mix all the songs together and do those things because we want to present that show as an amazing experience that people will always remember. People spend good money to purchase concert tickets and so you want them to get their money’s worth,” explains Legend.

When on stage, he doesn’t just feed off the energy of the fans. For Legend, the right gear can help him tap into his inner sex symbol. “My stylist, she knows me pretty well and will go out and find stuff for me. I’ll just pick through there and tell her what I like and what feels good on me and we’ll try it on,” shares Legend. “If it looks good and makes me feel comfortable and sexy, then it’s good. If it doesn’t, then I don’t care if it’s fashionable, it’s just not working for me because fashion has to accommodate your personal style, your personal look and everything.”

While fame has afforded Legend the chance to rock the latest fashions and live in lavish digs, he insists that the material aspects are not important to him. “I’m not very into possessions; that’s the interesting thing about me. Stuff doesn’t really bother me, at least things that are expensive, like my house in L A. or my apartment in New York. I don’t have ‘things’ that I hold onto like that,” he says before adding self-consciously, “I know that sounds like fake and philosophical, but it’s true.”

With this admission, Legend reveals another side to his personality, one that holds the idea of philanthropy at its core. He has lent his talents to several initiatives, including GAP’s (PROJECT) Red Campaign, Tide’s Clean Start initiative, which aided victims of Hurricane Katrina and GQ magazine’s The Gentlemen’s Fund.

Legend also launched his own initiative, the Show Me Campaign, a nonprofit organization that seeks to aid in the fight against poverty. He first publicly introduced the campaign in 2007 with his single, “Show Me” and was inspired to start the organization after reading Jeffrey Sach’s The End of Poverty. “It’s really been driving a lot of the work I’ve been doing outside of music the past two years. We believe that we don’t have to accept the reality that poverty is something that you can’t solve. We don’t have to accept the fact that a billion people live in extreme poverty, which means [they are living on] less than a dollar a day,” he says.

While he’s admittedly never experienced such poverty, Legend understands the difficulties that one can encounter. Before becoming an international superstar, Legend honed his musical skills as an independent act on the underground music circuit in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., selling live recordings at every show. He believes those lean times, though hard, helped play an integral role in shaping the person he is today.

“I wouldn’t change a thing because you learn from every mistake, every rejection [and] every obstacle,” he says. “You can take that information, take that lesson and go on and be stronger, be smarter and work harder. I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have that experience.”