Eighteen years since the release of his debut album (Get Lifted), John Legend is now releasing his eighth studio album aptly titled, Legend.
Throughout his two decades in the industry, Legend has refused to rest on his laurels, consistently returning to the studio, finding new collaborators, joining the productions of movies and theatres and fighting for equality and social justice along the way.
And it's paid off. Legend is one of only 17 EGOT winners (a rare group to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) and the first black man to do so.
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Along the way he's collaborated with many impressive peers in music, film and TV. Many of whom were thrilled to ask Legend a question for ELLE's latest episode of 'Ask Me Anything' (celebrity edition).
During a visit to London, ELLE sat down with Legend to play him some video questions asked by friends including by Ryan Reynolds, Nick Jonas, Camila Cabello, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Batiste and Sam Smith.
Responding to Reynolds' question about his favourite collaborator, Legend spoke of the man who he has collaborated the most with, Kanye West - who he met through his roommate before he found fame.
Smith asked what inspires Legend's aforementioned work ethic, to which he gave a pretty inspiring answer. 'Even though I've had plenty of success and I'm very grateful for it, I'm not satisfied by it,' he told us. 'I'm always trying to get better. I'm always trying to make my next record better than my last record. I think if you approach your career with that kind of humility and hunger it'll make you continue to focus on the next thing.'
Also joining the call were Legend's family, his wife Chrissy Teigen and his adorable children Luna and Miles. Luna was joined by one of the family's many dogs, Pearl. The family have had several dogs - all beginning with P - as we found out from Legend's close family friend, celebrity hair stylist Jen Atkin who asked him to name all the dogs starting with P...
John Legend's album, Legend is out from Friday 9 September.
Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
