John Legend
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John Legend is just as disappointed as many folks are in Kanye West. He says it is sad to see where YE is at now.
The award winning crooner recently conducted an interview with The Times. During the Q&A John Legend detailed his early beginnings, start in the music industry, his high profile marriage and more. When discussing his life he makes it clear that the celebrity has not changed him. “I just dropped my kids off at school,” he says. “It’s not difficult because it’s all me. I’m being my full self in the different facets of my life. I’m not playing a character, and that makes it easier.”
John Legend also reflected back on his debut album Get Lifted. “I was thinking about Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green, but also my collaborators in Hip-Hop, then fusing it all with my roots in gospel,” he explains. “So much of that album was about my heritage.” Of course the British newspaper asked him about Kanye West to which he admitted that he is just confused as everyone else when it comes to the rapper’s recent bizarre antics.
“Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him,” John Legend remembered. “He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.” While he doesn’t know for sure what caused Kanye’s drastic change he does think it is connected to losing one of the most important people in his life. “I don’t think we’re qualified to psychoanalyse him, but after his mother passed in 2007 there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently.”
You learn more about the John Legend’s Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour here.
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One of the country’s favorite Christmas traditions is back for another year, as the 2024 edition of the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade returns to the airwaves.
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Elton John, Carly Pearce, John Legend and SEVENTEEN are among the artists performing on this year’s show, which airs on Christmas morning, Wednesday, December 25 at 10 a.m. ET on ABC. You can watch Disney’s Magical Christmas Day Parade on TV through your local ABC affiliate.
How to Watch Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade Online
Want to watch Disney’s Christmas Day Parade online? Livestream the ABC airing by using a streaming service like DirecTV Stream. The live TV streamer includes a live feed of ABC as part of its channel lineup, so you can watch Disney’s Magical Christmas Day Parade online without cable. Even better: DirecTV Stream has a five-day free trial that you can use to livestream the parade online for free.
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You can also watch the Magical Christmas Day Parade live online with Hulu + Live TV. The streaming service gets you all of Hulu’s on-demand content as well as 90+ live television channels, including ABC. Hulu + Live TV has a three-day free trial that you can use to stream Disney’s Christmas Day special on ABC for free.
The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade will also be available to stream free for Disney+ subscribers beginning at 11 a.m. ET on December 25. Not a subscriber? Sign-up for Disney+ starting from $9.99/month to watch the Disney Christmas parade online and on-demand.
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade 2024: Hosts, Performers
The 2024 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade returns this year with Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro as hosts, along with performances from Elton John, Andy Grammar, John Legend, Carly Pearce, Pentatonix, Anika Noni Rose and SEVENTEEN (performing Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”).
They will be joined by the cast of Descendants: The Rise of Red, and by a number of Disney on Broadway stars, who will perform a holiday medley.
See a teaser for Disney’s Christmas Day special below and stream the parade live online with DirecTV Stream or on-demand through Disney+.
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John Legend will be making an appearance at the Democratic National Convention to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to be the nominee for the presidential election in November.
According to reports, it has been confirmed that singer John Legend will be appearing at the Democratic National Convention. It’s expected that he will offer up full-throated support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential candidate. The news makes Legend the first big name that will be in attendance at the convention, which is slated to be held in Chicago, Illinois, from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
There hasn’t been any advance notice as to what role John Legend will fulfill during the week-long event – there is a likelihood that he could deliver a speech and perform. The Grammy Award-winning artist has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party and weighed in on the decision by President Joe Biden to drop out of the race for reelection and his endorsement of Harris to be the Democratic nominee in an Instagram post on July 21. “I’m so ready to work to help unite the pro-democracy coalition to reject Trump’s authoritarian, oppressive Project 2025 and elect Kamala Harris as our President. She’s ready for this fight and I’m excited to help her in any way I can,” he wrote.
Celebrities making a splash with their support at political conventions have been a lasting part of American politics, with it ramping up within the past couple of decades. The Republican National Convention, which took place 90 minutes away at the Fiserv Forum in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, held a lot of buzz as Amber Rose delivered a speech on its opening night. Former WWE superstar wrestler Hulk Hogan was another prominent celebrity who spoke to the gathered crowd to support the nominee, Donald Trump. For the DNC, the event is expected to be held at several venues throughout Chicago with the United Center being the place where the primetime events will be held.
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The Blue Note Jazz Festival began in New York City in 2011 to honor the 30th anniversary of the famed Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village. Coming this summer, The Blue Note Jazz Festival: The Black Radio Experience will take place in Napa Valley, Calif. featuring John Legend, Jill Scott, and André 3000 as headliners.
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The Blue Note Jazz Festival hosted its first event in 2022 in Napa Valley and will return in 2024 with Robert Glasper, the festival’s artist-in-residence, setting the musical tone. As mentioned above, the vocal talents of John Legend and Jill Scott will be on display with André 3000 certain to bring his wind instruments to the stage. Joining the headliners are Musiq Soulchild and Marsha Ambrosius who will take the stage with Glasper for a special vocal performance.
The lineup is stacked and represents several facets of Black music including acts such as Andra Day, Ledisi, Common and Pete Rock, Madlib, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more.
“Every year our festival in Napa brings a unique vibe, and this year we are bringing you the Black Radio Experience during Labor Day weekend with a dope list of artists for an exclusive hang,” Robert Glasper shared in a statement.
“This year’s event promises an even more boutique, intimate, and exclusive vibe than ever before, presenting an unparalleled caliber of iconic artists,” said Alex Kurland, Director of Programming of Blue Note. “Robert Glasper’s vision and inspiration shape the talent and tone of the entire experience,” added Kurland.
There will also be onsite after-parties hosted by Madlib, Pete Rock, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The event will be held over three days at The Meritage Resort & Spa along with an array of food and beverage options and among them will be Chef Darryl Bell’s ‘In the Vineyard’ Stateline Road Smokehouse. The resort itself also features breakfast and dinner buffets for those who wish to indulge.
Hotel and ticket packages are on sale now with three-day GA passes starting at $499 going on sale Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST. VIP experiences are also available and attendees can learn more by clicking here.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival: The Black Radio Experience takes place between August 30 and September 1.
Source: Mathieu Bitton / @candytman
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Photo: Mathieu Bitton / @candytman
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John Legend wants to share his love of the finer things with the world. The singer is launching a food and travel recommendation app.
Blavity is reporting the R&B crooner will take a stab at tech with a new platform aimed at enriching your palette and passport. It’s Good will offer services similar to Yelp stating that “a restaurant rec from one trusted friend is more valuable than recs from 10,000 strangers.” The app will allow you to review eateries and hot spots but will also offer users the visibility to see the top picks of their contacts on social media. Additionally, it will have contributions from noted figures for an extra touch of celebrity. According to an exclusive interview with The Wrap the rating system is also intentionally different. “It’s actually not even built for negative comments,” John Legend explained. “Either you recommend it or you don’t.”
The “Ordinary People” singer expressed his enthusiasm in a formal statement via the app’s website. “My friends always reach out to me for ‘my list’ of restaurants in the cities I’ve visited,” the “Green Light” he said. “With It’s Good, we sought to create a trusted community for food lovers to recommend their favorite spots and discover new ones through a user-friendly platform that’s easily shareable and beautiful.”
You can join the waitlist for It’s Good here.
One thing about Chrissy Teigen is she’s never letting a troll get away easily.
The model took to her Instagram Stories on Monday (May 8) to share a screenshot of a bizarre comment under a photo of her four-month-old daughter Esti Maxine, in which a commenter claimed that Teigen was “born male” and used a device “called a moonbump” to pretend she was pregnant while her daughter was born via surrogate.
In response, the Cravings cookbook author shared a photo of her C-section in January, when she welcomed her third child. “Extremely realistic ‘moon bump,’” she captioned the snap, in which Esti is clearly seen coming out of Teigen’s body. See Teigen’s Stories before they disappear here.
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Esti’s birth came just a little over two years since Teigen suffered a pregnancy loss at 20 weeks in September 2020 — a son they’d already named Jack. In February 2022, she shared that she had started IVF treatment in the hopes of conceiving again, and in August, she announced that she was pregnant.
Teigen’s husband John Legend previously told E! News that the Esti’s unique name was initially the model’s idea, but it also has surprising roots in his own family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’
Teigen and Legend are also parents to seven-year-old Luna and four-year-old Miles.
John Legend opened up Wednesday (Feb. 1) about how he and Chrissy Teigen came up with their new daughter Esti’s name.
The R&B star told E! News that the newborn’s unique moniker was intially the brainchild of wife Chrissy Teigen, but it also has surprising roots in his family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’
“We wanted to already name her middle name Maxine after my grandmother, whose middle name was Maxine,” Legend continued. “So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”
Baby Esti joined older siblings Luna and Miles in January to make the singer and model’s brood a family of five, following the devastating loss of their third baby Jack last year when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant.
Following her birth, both proud parents took to social media to share photos of Esti. “Our new love,” Legend captioned his snap of the baby, while Teigen wrote, “Look at u out here lookin’ like a baby” alongside hers.
This weekend, Legend is scheduled to take the stage at the 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year tribute concert in Los Angeles, where Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson will both be honored two days before the 65th annual Grammy Awards.
Having recently wrapped season 22 of The Voice — where Team Legend’s Omar Jose Cardona ultimately came in fourth place behind eventual winner Bryce Leatherwood — the Grammy winner will sit out season 23 to make room for the return of fellow coach Kelly Clarkson and newbies Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.
Chrissy Teigen is newly a mom of three, and has been hilariously documenting her journey of balancing care for a newborn as well as two older children on social media.
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The model took to her Instagram Stories on Monday (Jan. 30) to share a video in which she’s seen attempting to breastfeed her daughter Esti while her four-year-old son Miles sits next to her on the couch counting. When Teigen began recording, Miles was at number 91 and throughout the course of three IG Stories, he made it to number 174 (accidentally skipping 173 along the way) while the Cravings author gets visibly more bored.
Watch the Stories before they disappear here.
Billboard confirmed that John Legend and Teigen had welcomed their third child together on Friday (Jan. 13), and a few days later, the couple shared a photo of Miles and six-year-old daughter Luna holding their newborn sister, who is wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket. “She’s here!” Teigen captioned the photo. “Esti Maxine Stephens.”
“The house is bustling and our family could not be happier,” she continued. “Daddy sheds nightly tears of joy seeing Luna and Miles so full of love, and I am learning you still need diapers with a c section!?”
Word that Esti had arrived first spread after Legend, performing at a private concert, told attendees that he was now a dad of three. “What a blessed day,” he reportedly said at the time, remarking that he’d spent a lot of time at the hospital and hadn’t gotten much sleep ahead of the event. Still, he said he felt “energized” after the baby’s birth.
John Legend turned 44 years old on Wednesday (Dec. 28), and the “All of Me” singer’s wife Chrissy Teigen wished her longtime love a happy birthday with a series of throwback photos.
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“happy birthday to the best man everyone knows. we love you too much!!!” the model captioned the snaps of Legend as a child, in which he looks identical to the couple’s four-year-old son, Miles.
Legend and Teigen share Miles and his older sister, six-year-old Luna, with a fourth child on the way after the Cravings author suffered a pregnancy loss with baby Jack in September 2020. The longtime couple were married in 2013 after first meeting in 2006 on the set of the video for Legend’s “Stereo” single.
“Like I said with Chrissy, I’ve seen so much growth through our grief and through our tragedy,” the singer recently shared on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast of the devastating pregnancy loss. “It’s always going to be a part of who we are and I’m fine with that. It’s part of who we are. We carry it with us and it’s OK.” He said you have to commit to the hard work necessary to get through the pain, something the couple are both ready to do.
“Like doing the work that we needed to do to get through it. And I think having, already had two kids together was definitely helpful because they just bring so much joy into our lives and laughter and fun and they’re great focus for our energy,” he said of daughter Luna, 6 and son Miles, 4. “And even when you’re going through deep grief on losing a pregnancy you still have these two beautiful babies that you love, and I think that was certainly helpful.”
Blake Shelton gave his Voice contestants a tough battle on Monday night (Oct. 24), as Hillary Torchiana and Kevin Hawkins went head-to-head on fellow coach John Legend‘s 2019 hit, “Preach.”
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The duo traded impressive belts and notes as they performed the track, leading to a standing ovation from Legend himself. “I love it. Thank you for singing my song. I felt your passion, I felt your love,” he told the contestants, before ultimately picking Hawkins as his personal pick to win the battle.
But the decision came down to Coach Shelton, who was visibly stuck on having to choose between two incredibly talented singers. “Well, my first thought is these guys did an incredible job of sticking to the plan and representing the song and giving it what it needed,” he said, noting that Hillary had a “tall glass to go up against” Kevin.
“I mean, he’s unbelievable, but so are you,” Shelton said. “I’m completely shocked at the way you stepped up to the plate. You took all my notes, you walked up here and gave it, I feel like, 100% of what you had to give it. Kevin, you also gave 100% of what you had to give for this performance. Even though that was 100%, I still don’t think we’ve seen your full potential. And, man, that’s saying a lot because that was obviously an incredible performance.”
Shelton ultimately ended up picking Hawkins, to help him live up to his full musical potential. Watch the full performance below.