A BLEND OF SOUL, SPIRITUALITY WENT INTO THE MAKING OF JOHN LEGEND.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer John Legend had a hint last year he would be spending tonight at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. in a state of nervous anticipation as the Grammy Awards Grammy Awards Annual awards given by the Recording Academy (officially the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). The first Grammies (the name is a dimunitive of “gramophone”) were given in 1958. are handed out. The affable, spiritually minded soul singer had performed on the '05 record academy telecast with his mentor, Kanye West, just as the buzz around his months-old debut album, ``Get Lifted,'' was becoming a roar. Friends and colleagues repeated the refrain: 2006 will be your year. They weren't wrong. Legend, whose resume includes session work with Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Eve, Common, the Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. and, of course, West, shares the lead with Mariah Carey and Kanye at tonight's trophy fest, with eight nominations each. The three top contenders are set to perform on the show. ``My friends kept saying I was going to be very happy this year,'' said Legend, 27, who sings, writes and plays piano. ``And when the nominations were announced, I was just shocked. They just kept coming. I never expected it to be this big.'' Those nods include song of the year (``Ordinary People''), best new artist, r&b album, r&b song and r&b performance. Legend's tuneful, polished sound, with its spiritual underpinnings and overt positivity, is an antidote to the darkness of so much current pop music. It's a style that harkens back to classic soul, but with hip-hop, contemporary r&b and gospel elements. ``Twenty years TWENTY YEARS. The lapse of twenty years raises a presumption of certain facts, and after such a time, the party against whom the presumption has been raised, will be required to prove a negative to establish his rights. 2. ago and more, it wasn't unusual for an artist to write songs, play instruments and sing well,'' said BJ Stone, director of r&b programming at Sirius Satellite Radio
On Sunday, Legend's profile soared when he joined Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and India.Arie during the Super Bowl pregame show. Part of the reason for Legend's early notoriety was his connection to rap star West, who was last year's top Grammy contender with 10 nods (he won three awards). West executive- produced ``Get Lifted.'' The two remain close friends and are even throwing a joint Grammy party tonight. Born John Stephens There are several notable people named John Stephens.
infant prodigy, wonder child child, kid, minor, nipper, tiddler, youngster, tike, shaver, small fry, nestling, fry, tyke - a young person of either who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the age of 5. Between studies and day jobs while attending the University of Pennsylvania (body, education) University of Pennsylvania - The home of ENIAC and Machiavelli. http://upenn.edu/. Address: Philadelphia, PA, USA. as an English major The English Major (alternatively English concentration, B.A. in English) is a term for an undergraduate university degree in the United States and a few other countries which focuses on the study of literature in the English language (the term may also be used to describe a student , Legend spent his time making music, recording CDs with his collegiate a cappella Collegiate a cappella (or college a cappella) ensembles are student-run and -directed singing groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many colleges and universities in the United States, and increasingly worldwide. group, performing at talent shows and open mics, and directing the choir at a local church. Just months before starting work on ``Get Lifted,'' in fact, Legend ended a nine-year tenure as music and choir director at Bethel A.M.E. Church, just outside Philadelphia. Legend checked in with us the other day from Jamaica, where he was headlining the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, set in a grassy field overlooking Montego Bay Montego Bay (mŏntē`gō), city (1991 pop. 82,002), NW Jamaica. One of the most popular resorts in the Caribbean with highly developed tourism facilities, Montego Bay is also a port and commercial center. . Q: Where did the name Legend come from? It would be kind of silly if you were a failure rather than a success, wouldn't it? A: A friend of mine nicknamed me that because he thought I sounded like an old-school '70s singer. At first I thought it was funny, but then a lot of my friends started calling me that and it really caught on so much that more people were calling me Legend than my actual last name. So, I started to consider using it for my stage name. I knew it sounded a little presumptuous pre·sump·tu·ous adj. Going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward. [Middle English, from Old French presumptueux, from Late Latin praes , but I figured it would definitely make me stand out from the pack. I figured it would make people pay attention. And once I had their attention, I wanted to make them fall in love with my music. By being ``John Legend,'' I put pressure on myself, but I'm gonna try to live up to it, and I hope my music will live up to it. Q: People say your music is timely in the same sense Marvin Gaye's music was. A: I don't necessarily think my music has expanded or changed the genre. Most of the elements I've put together have been done before, perhaps in different combinations. In the future, I'll be more adventurous stylistically. I've written reggae songs, bossa nova bos·sa no·va n. 1. A style of popular Brazilian music derived from the samba but with more melodic and harmonic complexity and less emphasis on percussion. 2. A lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba. songs, dance songs. But I wanted ``Get Lifted'' to be more focused stylistically, so I didn't put all those songs on the record. Q: There's also a spiritual side there. A: Spirituality comes through, but I don't make any specific efforts in that direction. I guess I can't help it. It comes from playing in the church for those years. I love performing gospel music. It's inspiring to me. My all-time favorite artists all had that side. Q: What do you think of recent trends in hip-hop? A: There's some good and bad music out there in all genres. And some very talented, creative people are making great, innovative music, people like Kanye and OutKast. It's cool these people are also at the top of the charts. At the same time, there's always been crap. In the '70s, for all the Stevie Wonders and Marvin Gayes, there were probably five artists that were making completely forgettable for·get·ta·ble adj. Fit or apt to be forgotten: a movie with very forgettable characters. Adj. 1. forgettable - easily forgotten unforgettable - impossible to forget music. We don't hear about them now because they're forgotten. Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) GRAMMYS Living legends John Legend, Neil Young reflect on their award prospects (3) no caption (John Legend) |
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