The thing that moves (or unsettles) most people about American R&B artist John Legend and inspires a flurry of superlatives is neither the obvious majesty of his voice nor the consistently classy craftsmanship of his producer/executive producer Kanye West.
The X-factor lies, instead, in his penmanship, which — combined with the above two attributes — enables him to transform everyday topics such as infidelity (She Don’t Have to Know) and the volatility of romantic relationships (Ordinary People) into stirring soul classics more commonplace in a bygone era.
“Most [R&B songwriters] think that if you got a hook and a beat you got a hit,” Legend told the New York Daily News earlier this year. “They don’t think about what happens in those things between the hooks — the verses.”
Whether constructing bars for songs or sharing his two cents worth on the state of Dubya’s mind (as he does on his website journal), Legend — an English literature major from the University of Pennsylvania — comes across as extremely thoughtful, not to mention exceptionally gifted with the gab.
When I ask him his views on singing the national anthem in public arenas, mindful that the Katrina rescue debacle left him feeling like “it may very well be true that Bush doesn’t care much about the black constituency”, he responds with tactful poise, saying: “I am a loyal American. I love my country, but I don’t agree with everything that it does. There are a lot of things to be ashamed about but every country does [have those]. There are a lot of great things about this country and a lot of opportunities to do great things.”
Asked whether he feels a personal responsibility to change some of the things that are wrong with his country, he answers: “Not necessarily. But if you know what’s going on and if you have the opportunity to speak out, you should speak out. That’s another good thing about the country. That if you have something to say, you say it — I’m very vocal. If you go to my website, I write journals about what I think needs to be corrected, but my main focus is music and doing what I do best.”
Legend, somewhat of a musical whizz-kid, was learning the piano and church organ by the time he was three, thanks to his overzealous grandmother. By the age of five, he was singing in the church choir and was leading the choir on the organ by the time he was nine. The religious fervour inherent in his delivery throughout his major label debut Get Lifted (released on West’s label Good Music), therefore, is quite easy to place.
But does John Legend (real name John Stephens) believe in the resurrection of Jesus, for example? “I’m Christian, but I don’t really go to church. I’ve always been influenced by the teachings of Christ, but not every song is about behaviour that he would endorse,” he says.
“I deal with real life, real situations, issues of conflict, trust, human relationships and how difficult they can be. I talk about the tough parts [of life] and the fun parts as well.”
John Legend performs on Thursday December 15 at the Standard Bank Arena, alongside Leela James, Lebo Mathosa and Skwatta Kamp. Doors open at 7.30pm. He also performs at Cape Town’s Bellville Velodrome on December 16 and at Durban’s Westridge Tennis Stadium on December 18. Tickets are available at Computicket or Checkers retail outlets