John Legend Aims To ‘Elevate’ And Empower

Singer-songwriter John Legend, known for hits like “All of Me” and “Ordinary People,” has become a superstar and expanded his career with ventures like Get Lifted and The Voice. He is currently on a tour featuring a mix of his songs and personal stories. Legend recently released a deluxe version of his album Get Lifted and collaborated with artists like Sufjan Stevens for his upcoming album My Favorite Dream. Through his music and projects, Legend aims to uplift and inspire audiences during challenging times.

by Jeff Niesel

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.

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.