JOHN LEGEND IS BACK!!!
COVERS NOTION MAGAZINE
NEW SINGLE 'LOVE ME NOW'!!

10-time Grammy award winning superstar JOHN LEGEND is the second of five covers to be revealed from NOTION Magazine's School Spirit themed Issue 74, characterising the 'Prom King' wearing Hugo Boss.
Legend is timeless. Not only has he barely aged a day since he emerged on the scene way back in 2004 but his music is just as relevant today as it has ever been. In his cover story, the 'Prom King' tells NOTION how he and Kanye helped each other find their way in the industry, how he came to produce a biopic about the Obamas, just what it takes to win ten Grammys, a Golden Globe AND an Oscar, and announces his brand new single 'Love Me Now', to be released soon. Issue 74 is released 10th October 2016 and can be purchased here: http://notionmagazine.com/product/notion-74-john-legend/

ON MEETING KAYNE WEST

‘He was an up-and-coming producer that wanted to be a rapper but no-one yet believed him at that time and I was an up-and-coming singer and pianist who wanted to be a solo star also. We both believed in each other, helped each other, and obviously have both had pretty successful careers since then.’

ON TRYING TO SECURE A RECORD DEAL

‘I got turned down by every major record label who I met with – including Sony [Legend’s current record label] - and you know, I had to keep persisting despite the no’s and wait till I got to yes.’

ON BECOMING FAMOUS AT 26 [AS OPPOSED TO A YOUNGER AGE]

‘I think it was helpful for me to become famous when I was an adult already; I was twenty-six years old. I think it’s harder for people that become famous when they’re a lot younger because you never had to be an adult without being in this very unrealistic world. It is unrealistic if you don’t know what the real world is like and me having lived in the real world for a while was very helpful.’

ON BECOMING A FATHER

‘Well I think it shifts your priorities a bit, gives you a new perspective. You realise what’s important for you, for your family and for your career. It just takes over your life when you have a child… I spent a lot of time at home with her for the first three months and with my wife, you know, it just humbles you. I think everyone struggles with being a new parent, everyone’s trying to figure it out and I think it’s a humbling process.’

ON HIS UPCOMING FIFTH ALBUM

‘I don’t think it’s a dramatic change. I believe that it’s progression; continuing to push myself and trying to perfect my craft and, to me, that really is to write the best songs you can write, then try to record and produce them in the best way that you can. That’s what we focused on; trying to write great songs that told my story. It’s a bit more of a live band sound than previous albums, we used a live drummer more than we used to, so on a sonic side that’s one of the biggest differences, it gives it a more soulful feel I think.’

ON HIS CHARITY WORK WITH #FREEAMERICA

‘I don’t know if the UK knows this about us [the US] but we are the most incarcerated country in the world and I think that’s a problem. I think that’s an area you don’t want to be the leader in. It’s not just the numbers, it’s not just the ranking that’s a problem, but it’s the lives that it affects. So, I’ve been trying to tell that story to the American people so we can do what we can to try and change that.’

ON HIS AMBITIONS AS AN ARTIST

‘I think as an artist and as a producer and philanthropist, I’m just trying to put more beauty into the world, more love into the world in any way that I can.’

PHOTOGRAPHY: Evan Duning/NOTION Magazine

ORDER ISSUE 74 HERE: http://notionmagazine.com/product/notion-74-john-legend

Website: www.notionmagazine.com 

Twitter: @NotionMagazine

Instagram: @NotionMagazine

Facebook: /NotionMagazine

**ENDS**

NOTES TO EDITOR: 

NOTION Magazine is a leading quarterly music, fashion and culture publication based in London and reporting internationally, spotlighting the newest styles, sounds and trends, from the underground to the mainstream, and the lifestyles which surround them. Previous NOTION Magazine covers include The Weeknd, 5 Seconds of Summer, Chris Brown, Adam Lambert, Lindsay Lohan, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars.