Maybe you know him as Chrissy Teigen's husband, or maybe you know him as a rare EGOT (including multiple Grammys, an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony) winner. Either way, John Legend is a living legend. But, I must confess that I didn't know much about him outside of some family-life tidbits (like how Legend and Teigen share four children—Luna Simone, Miles Theodore, Esti Maxine and Wren Alexander Stephens), or my hometown connection to him (more on that below). But now I know some very fun facts. Like, did you know he started his career as a wedding singer? Or that he was once a music consultant? No? Read on to find out more little-known facts about the singer.
8 Surprising Facts About John Legend You Didn't Know
Including one thing that only somebody from his hometown would know
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Published Jul 27, 2024
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1. He Started His Career as a Wedding Singer
According to a 2016 report from Billboard, Legend first started his career as a wedding singer in the 1990s when he was just a teenager learning the ropes of the music industry. In 2020, he went back to his roots when he was hired to perform his song “All of Me” at a wedding reception in Huntington Beach, California at the Hyatt Regency. Old habits die hard.
2. He Was Born in Springfield, Ohio
Legend was born on December 28, 1978 in a small city of Ohio called Springfield. In a March 2016 Facebook post, the artist shared a picture of himself revisiting his childhood home during a trip back home. Fun Fact: I lived in Springfield from ages 5 to 12, and still have family members living there, which leads me to my next rare fact.
3. My Father Babysat Him as a Child
Indeed, my father used to babysit John Legend when he was a child. Also, his sister was my grandmother’s hair stylist for several years. Maybe he remembers, maybe he doesn’t. OK, back to the “official” facts.
4. He Attended College at the University of Pennsylvania
Legend was quite successful in his K-12 schooling, earning multiple honors and even skipping a couple of grades. His academic achievements lead to scholarship offers from prestigious universities such as Harvard and Georgetown, with Legend ultimately deciding to enroll at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude.
5. He Is One of Only 19 EGOT Winners
In a small list that currently consists of only 19 people, Legend officially joined the EGOT category in 2018 upon winning an Emmy for producing the 2018 NBC special Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. The Tony Award came by way of a co-producing credit on August Wilson's "Jitney” and the Oscar is from co-writing the original song "Glory” from the 2014 film Selma. As of time of publication, Legend has won 12 Grammy Awards as a musical artist.
6. Legend Appears on Lauryn Hill’s Iconic Album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Hear that? That’s Legend tinkling the ivories as a featured piano player on Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything,” a track on the now-iconic 1998 album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. He was only a senior in high school when he dropped in on the session. Since the Hill collab, Legend has also worked with the likes of Alicia Keys, Kanye West and more.
7. He Worked As a Music Consultant Before Beginning His Career
Before taking off as a professional musician, Legend worked as music consultant for Boston Consulting Group. He later spoke on the experience in a 2018 interview with CNBC, telling reporter John Harwood, "I learned a lot. I met a lot of great people, I'm still friends with a lot of those folks, too. I think it just ups your level of expectation for the kind of business you want to work with. And how you work in teams, how you come to good decisions as a team. I think all of those helped me in my career, as a musician."
8. He Released His Debut Album in 2004
Legend released his first album, Get Lifted, on December 28, 2004. The record debuted at the seventh position on the Billboard 200, where it sold over 100,000 copies in its first week.
