Sunday, April 01, 2007
posted by Chi-Chi at 4/01/2007 | Permalink
JOHN LEGEND ON WETTEN DASS
John Legend perform one of his hit singles during the German television show "Wetten, dass..?" (Bet it..?) in the southern German city of Freiburg.
[photos by Rolf Klatt]
John Legend recently sat down with San Franciso Chronicle to discuss his famous surname, his album and what it's like working with music legend Aretha Franklin.
John Legend on his album, "Once Again" :
"I would argue that's it's a very soulful album, but it's not sounding like contemporary R&B as it's been known to sound in the past five or 10 years. Was I worried that it wasn't going to fit into urban mainstream radio? I was concerned a little bit, but my thought was that if it's a great album, people will buy it. I didn't become successful by trying to fit in. I became successful by actually being different from everybody. I figured if I could get 'Ordinary People,' which didn't even have a beat, to work, then it showed me that people will expect me to be different, and it's cool for me to be different. For me, all I can create is what I'm feeling and what's in my head and what feels good to me. At that moment, during those six months I was working on 'Once Again,' I was feeling like doing stuff that was more subtle, doing stuff that was more eclectic in some ways. That's the vibe I was in."
John Legend on his surname {last name}:
" 'Legend' was just a name people started calling me. I didn't start calling myself that. I don't think I'm cocky. I am confident, and I'm very self-aware, and I believe in my abilities as an artist. I also think I'm humble enough to know my limitations and know where I need to improve and always be hungry and try to get better."
John Legend on working with Aretha Franklin:
The session with Franklin was a breeze. The Queen of Soul had learned "Turn It Up," an up-tempo tune Legend wrote for her, before arriving at the studio and nailed it after just a few takes. "She's pretty quick," says Legend, 28. "She's an amazing singer, so that makes everything else easy." [SFGATE.COM]
Labels: John Legend
Contrats to you, John Legend for getting the honor of working with The Queen, Miss Aretha Franklin. I have seen her do amazing things on a countless stages...thank God that I live during her time.
If you're lucky, you'll get to work with another Detroit diva, the one and only, Bettye LaVette. Great artists feel "less great" when they see her perform and for good reason. You'll be better for it.