John Legend Songs and Stories of Inspiration

Songs such as the soulful piano ballad “All of Me” and the pensive “Ordinary People” have made singer-songwriter John Legend into a superstar. The Ohio native has capitalized on his fame too. He runs a film and book company called Get Lifted and has returned to The Voice as a judge. He’s also producing a new musical called Imitation of Life that’ll premiere in the fall. He’s written the music and lyrics for it.

In the midst of his Night of Songs & Stories tour that comes to the Akron Civic Theatre on Saturday, April 11, the soft-spoken Legend spoke via phone from Denver, where he was talking at a dermatologist conference about his skincare brand, LovedO1.

When did you first conceive of the “songs and stories” concept?

The first time I did a show like this was for Audible. We did something for their series called Words and Music. It invited different musicians to do an audiobook on whatever topic we wanted and obviously incorporate music and storytelling. I decided to do a mini-autobiography that incorporated my songs and songs that influenced me as well as stories about those songs. I also told stories about why I became a music and what inspired. I told some of my life story too.

How has the show evolved?

I keep evolving it. It’s like any other performance. The more I do it in front of an audience, the more I learn from those experiences of performing it and from the reaction I get from the audience. Like every show I do, it’s always evolving. It’s kind of like a live organism. It has a relationship with the audience that inspires what it continues to develop into.

You play your hits but also deep tracks. Talk about one of the deep tracks that’s in this version of the show.

Well, we also do some covers that people might not expect from me. They are songs that have a meaning for me. The deepest tracks might be those covers. The songs I do from my catalog aren’t really unexpected.

For the 20^th anniversary of your album Get Lifted, you released a deluxe version of the album. What was it like to go back to the record and assemble the various remixes and collaborations?

It was fun. It was a chance to re-imagine those tracks and work with new collaborators, producers and guest vocalists. They have breathed new life in those songs that are 20-plus years old. It was really fun to collaborate with people I hadn’t worked with before like Tems and Killer Mike. It gave me an excuse to work with Lil Wayne again and with Black Thought again. It was a fun reason to revisit those songs.

For 2024’s My Favorite Dream, you worked with Sufjan Stevens. What was it like working with him?

Oh, it was perfect. He’s such as a brilliant music. It was my dream to work with him, no pun intended. Having been a fan of his music for a long time and knowing the songs I had written for this album, I thought he was the exact right arranger and producer to make these songs sound the way they were supposed to sound. I have to say that I was absolutely right. He was the perfect, perfect producer. I still think it’s one of the best albums in my career. I love how it came out.

What has it been like working as a coach on The Voice for several seasons?

I love doing it. It’s such a fun job, if you can call it a job. It’s not a job if you are doing what you love. I truly love working with these new artists and helping them think about their careers and their journey and the songs that will best represent them on the show and help them put on the best performances they can put on. I find it so inspiring and reinvigorating and renewing as an artist. It helps me refresh my excitement for music and for my own career. I just love doing it.

I think Get Lifted is also behind a film about the War & Treaty, the terrific country/R&B duo. The group’s Michael Trotter is from the Cleveland area.

We’re friends with Michael and Tanya [Trotter] and we are producing a film based on their lives. I don’t know when we will be able to film it. It’s probably a little premature to address this in the press. These things do take a while, but I love working with them, and I’ve collaborated with them in the past.

We live in troubled times. How do you think your music and art helps people get through this dark period?

It’s no accident that I named my first album Get Lifted and my production company Get Lifted and my publishing company Get Lifted. We do try to elevate the conversation and uplift our fellow artists who have something interesting and inspiring and powerful to say. I try to personally make art that is inspiring and uplifting. It’s my job to make the world a little more beautiful and a little more loving in any way that I can. And so, that’s what I try to do with every project that I’m a part of.

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