John Legend

John Legend

Interview

John Legend's Musical And Personal Ascension

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The GRAMMY winner reveals how he grew into 'Darkness And Light,' co-writing with Miguel, and life on the road with his daughter
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 30, 2017 - 4:38 pm

Life is good for John Legend. The GRAMMY winner is in the middle of world tour in support of his fifth studio album, 2016's Darkness And Light, this time with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, and 1-year-old daughter, Luna, in tow. Legend is also showing his versatility as an actor/producer (La La Land), film/TV composer ("Master Of None," Fifty Shades Darker), and now the multitalented singer/songwriter has launched his own production company, Get Lifted Film Co.

Legend took a breather from his tour to visit our headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif. With a big, warm smile, he talked about his latest single, "Penthouse Floor," his personal growth as an artist, the roster of talented collaborators on new album, family life on the road, and more.

John Legend On His Growth As A Songwriter

Your latest album is Darkness And Light. Can you tell us about the new single, "Penthouse Floor"?
The single "Penthouse Floor" features Chance The Rapper. The song is about the idea of upward mobility and what it means to strive to make it to the penthouse, but also to remember what you left behind. As someone who grew up in a working class neighborhood in Ohio, small town, I had dreams of being an artist, I had dreams of being successful [and] being a leader. But I never wanted to forget where I came from, and the song is really about the idea of ascension, the idea of upward mobility, but also the tension that one might feel reaching that level, and also knowing there's a lot of people from our neighborhood or from our community that are left behind.

It's evident from track one of Darkness And Light that this your most reflective piece of work. Why do you think that is?
I think this album is my most personal album, and I think I matured a lot as a writer and as a person and having just gotten married and had a baby. I think all of those life circumstances gave me more perspective. Also, just my perspective as an activist has kind of matured as well. I think the way I approached this album was to try to tell all those stories and encompass all that I am in the music in the most honest way that I could. I think a lot of the album is about being uncertain and not knowing exactly what the future is going to bring. It's about striving and struggling for greatness and for justice and for love, and being a bit uncertain that you're going to get there. 

John Legend promotional photo

Photo: Elliot Van Hazel

How does this album differ from your previous albums?
I'm the same artist that I've been all those years, but I think you evolve and you grow, and like I said, I've grown personally and also collaborated with some new people on this album. Some of the recording approach was a little bit different. I've only made two albums with the same band throughout the album. One was with the Roots, [the] album called Wake Up, and this album with the same rhythm section throughout pretty much every song, and Blake producing every song. So this is only the second time I've done something like that as a recording process. I think the result of that is a more musically cohesive album, and I think you feel the collaboration of the musicians in a way that is a bit different from some of my other albums that weren't as consistent when it came to the rhythm section and the live band.

John Legend Wins Best New Artist

What is the difference between writing music for yourself, for your own album, and writing for a film?
Well, composing for film is different because it feels like more of a specific assignment, which actually makes it easier when it comes to the writing process because you know where you're going, whereas when you're writing your own album, it's pretty much a blank slate. You could write about anything, and that range of choices can actually be more difficult than just being able to directly say, "Well, this is for this particular scene, and this film is about that, and I know what the character's motivations are, and I know the feeling of the film at that moment." It gives you a little more direction when you're trying to compose and actually makes it a little bit easier to write, and I've had some good results collaborating with filmmakers and coming up with song ideas that fit the moment of the film that we're working on. We'll have a few more of those come out next year too, but it's been fun collaborating with the film community. And of course now I have a production company that produces TV and film. I've had the chance to work with a lot of great filmmakers and storytellers, and that collaboration between music and film is really a lot of fun.

Can you tell us more about the tour you've been on?
Yeah, so I've been touring in the States over the late spring and early summer, and now we're heading to Europe for the fall. We'll be in Europe in September and October, and then we're going to go to South Africa in November, we just announced those dates as well, so that's exciting. The Darkness And Light Tour has been going really well. Bringing the music to the stage is always fun and connecting it with the audience is always fun. It's been a really fun tour and I think the best tour of my career as far as the creativity and the visual design and everything that we've done with it. So hopefully people get a chance to check it out if they haven't already.

Any memories from this tour that stick out?
We've had some great moments. This is the first tour with my daughter so we brought her on the bus pretty much the whole time, and that was fun. Luna's first tour went well! And we really had some great shows, great audiences throughout the country and we're looking forward to taking it overseas now.

Watch More: Julia Michaels Goes Behind Her Song "Issues"

Best New Artist winners

Photos: WireImage.com

Video

Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith: Best New Artist GRAMMY Rewind

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Time travel through GRAMMY history and revisit the fresh faces of Best New Artist winners
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 11, 2018 - 6:28 pm

Each year, one GRAMMY is awarded to recognize music's most promising new talent in the coveted Best New Artist category. Over the years, budding superstars such as Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, John Legend, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Maroon 5 have taken home the honor, with all since enjoying long, prolific careers.

Rewind: Best New Artist GRAMMY Winners

Just as the other three major GRAMMY categories — Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Album Of The Year — recognize those involved in an outstanding recording, composition, and collection of recordings respectively, Best New Artist celebrates the outstanding work of a new artist during the eligibility year.

How do we know who qualifies as a "new artist"? The category has arguably the most complex set of rules out of all 84 GRAMMY categories, but essentially a new artist is defined as any performing artist or established performing group who releases, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer.

While the nuance of eligibility for Best New Artist has caused some confusion in the past, the implication of the honor is clear: this artist has arrived.

The Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards when Bobby Darin won for 1959. Darin also took home Record Of The Year honors for "Mack The Knife," setting a high bar for the dozens of Best New Artist winners who have followed in his footsteps.

Since then, the Best New Artist recipients have spanned the likes of the Beatles, Carpenters, Rickie Lee Jones, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, and Sam Smith, to name just a few. Last year's winner, Chance The Rapper, earned seven nominations for the 59th GRAMMY Awards, adding wins for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance to his Best New Artist trophy.

Who will be crowned this year's Best New Artist? Tune in to the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28 to find out.

Here Are This Year's Contenders For Best New Artist | 60th GRAMMY Awards

112 group portrait

Photo: Courtesy of eOne Music

Interview

R&B Royalty 112 Talk Diddy, Biggie, Whitney & Brand-New Album

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The GRAMMY-winning quartet takes us inside 'Q Mike Slim Daron' and shares stories about the Bad Boy family, Whitney Houston and more
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 16, 2017 - 10:34 am

As a fixture in R&B music for over two decades, 112 — comprising Quinnes "Q" Parker, Daron Jones, Marvin "Slim" Scandrick, and Michael "Mike" Keith — have made a career of tuning into the frequencies of rhythmic love songs while generating smash hits that resonate on a universal level.

112 Talk New Album 'Q Mike Slim Daron'

When the GRAMMY-winning vocal group headed back into the studio to record their sixth album — their first in more than a decade — they brought an impressive legacy with them. From winning over Sean "Diddy" Combs in a parking lot audition and joining the original Bad Boy Records family to earning the endorsement of the late Notorious B.I.G. and devoted fans worldwide, 112 have proven themselves to be pivotal players in the evolution of R&B. Their latest album, Q Mike Slim Daron, proves the group is still uncovering new wisdom to share on the topic of love, while sending a straightforward musical message of who they are today.

Just hours before their Hollywood, Calif., listening party for their new LP, 112 swung by Recording Academy headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to dish on the album's details and tell the real story behind the Bad Boy family, working with Biggie and touring with Whitney Houston.

112 have continued to tour, but why was it important to get back in the studio after over a decade to record a new album?
Jones: Well, just being on the road and being around each other singing [and] being inspired by each other was one of the reasons. But another reason was just running into the fans, and taking pictures, and just kicking it. They would always say, "When's the next album coming?" And just hearing that so many times, you understand that there is a demand for the music, and we were honored [by] that. So we just went ahead and started making some.

"John Lennon said it best: 'You give me a tuba, I'll make some music out of that." And that's pretty much the mantra and the mindset 112 has. You give us two spoons, we'll make some music out of that thing." — Michael Keith

The title of the album, Q Mike Slim Daron, says a lot. How did you arrive at that title?
Scandrick: Well, it was very self-explanatory. On this particular album, we wanted everybody to understand exactly who Q, Mike, Slim, [and] Daron [are]. And you know, on the [other] albums you had one particular person, or maybe two people, who were dominating records. This album right here is probably [our] most well-versed album where you're definitely hearing all four members, and we think that's one of our stronger attributes. You've got four lead singers who can definitely hold their own, and that's pretty much what we [are] doing.

During a recent Breakfast Club interview you claimed you intentionally made this album "as R&B as possible." Tell us about the production process and how the sound of the album came together.
Keith: The production process was really easy for us, because the majority of the producers were fans of 112 growing up. So they already had their interpretation of what they felt like the new album should be. And with them being in the forefront of today's music … it was just a real easy transition. They had the new style, the new sound and 112 had the old-school traditional sound that we're accustomed to doing, and we just meshed it.

Like Q always says, "We're musicians." John Lennon said it best: "You give me a tuba, I'll make some music out of that." That's pretty much the mantra and the mindset 112 has. You give us two spoons, we'll make some music out of that thing. That's the gift that we [have]. To this day, I'm still dumbfounded on how easy it was to get with the producers. And it really was a testament to how these guys looked at 112's situation, listened to our sound, and really were fans and disciples of 112's music. It was just an easy transition.

The new single, "Dangerous Games," explores the complex challenges of relationships, jealousy and adultery in a refreshing, even philosophical way. Where do you guys feel the song stands next to the many hits you've had in the past?
Parker: It's a great addition to the catalog. You think about 21 years of just making great and quality music, and it definitely fits where 112 has been and where we're going. The song is just our take on love. The thing about 112 is we always want to sing about life, love and relationships — the good side, the bad side, the realness of it.

Your music has always tapped into love, human connection and romance. Is technology — texting and social media — making it harder or easier to be romantic now?
Jones: That's a good question. I'll just say it's different. I won't say that it would be easier or harder. But I'll just say it's different and sometimes, over the texts, things can be misunderstood. But at the same time, I think a text message is a great tool, so I respect the advantage of what it is. But I also respect the human connection and being able to just talk to somebody in person. So I think as long as you find that balance you'll be alright. Because technology is good, we love it. But you gotta find that balance between texting and actually talking, because things can get confusing very quickly.

"This album right here is probably [our] most well-versed album, where you're definitely hearing all four members, and we think that's one of our stronger attributes." — Marvin "Slim" Scandrick

After all these years and all the success, what do you think has been the biggest misconception of the Bad Boy family and of Diddy?
Parker: I think one of the biggest misconceptions would probably be the fact that we really are a family. A lot of times people think just because your label makes it, it's just all business. But the Bad Boy artists are really, really family. We can think of instances where we stayed at Faith [Evans'] house. She's come over to cook dinner for us. We've gone out with B.I.G. [Biggie] — he used to give us money to make sure we had food to eat. When Puff [Daddy] would come in and try to rag on us, he'd step in for us.

So on the outside looking in, people could think that we're just label-based, but it really is the Bad Boy family. And it was so evident when we just did that Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour [in 2016]. It was a great thing for the music industry, but also for us as family — just being able to hang out with each other again and sharing the stage together.

Biggie always showed you guys a ton of respect. How does it feel to be part of his larger-than-life hip-hop legacy? What do you miss most about him?
Jones: Man, it's incredible. It's an honor. You know, B.I.G. would always just honor us in his music, to the point where other musicians would say, "Man. You know Biggie [is] always talking about you." He had so many different ways of just shouting us out throughout his music. And he was really like a big brother to us. He was one of the first to rap on one of our songs and usher us into that hip-hop wave that was going on at the time. He was like family to us, and it's definitely a huge honor just to be a part of that legacy. Personally, I got a chance to produce for B.I.G. on his album Life After Death, the song ["F*** You Tonight"] with him and R. Kelly, and that was an honor as well.

112's Water Balloon Fight With Whitney Houston

112 toured with Whitney Houston in 1999. Are there any memories from the tour you'd like to share?
Keith: I got the story for you. … It was supposed to be a show in [Philadelphia], right? The show got canceled. 112 was the reason why. She planned, with her dancers, to ambush 112 in a park with water balloons and Super Soakers and all this other stuff. We had a day off before the show in Philly. And she was like, "Hey, guys. Can y'all meet us at the park? We're gonna eat, we're gonna have fun. We're gonna have fellowship. We're gonna sing." They were plotting our demise.

So it got back to us that "Whitney and the dancers are going to get you guys. They're gonna hit y'all with water balloons, Super Soakers, the whole nine, right?" So we was like, "OK, cool." We go to Toys "R" Us, we grab every last Super Soaker, the little 50-cent water guns and everything — just for ammunition. We came ready for war. So we found them, they came with the water balloons and stuff like, "Ah, we're gonna get y'all," and just started wetting everybody. Whitney, she got hit by a balloon and she got sick, so she couldn't sing the next day. That was the reason why she couldn't perform, and we blame nobody but ourselves. We was attacked, man. We had to protect ourselves! (laughs)

'The Bodyguard' Soundtrack: 25 Years After Whitney Houston's Masterpiece

What can fans expect in terms a tour supporting of the new album?
Scandrick: Oh, man, [it will be] very explosive. Right now, if you listen to Q Mike Slim Daron, we have a couple of people on there and one of the big collaborations that we have is between us and Jagged Edge. That was a fan favorite. People wanted to see this. Matter of fact, we wanted to do it. We've been wanting to do it and this time this is our platform. So we put this together and said, "Imagine if Boyz II Men and Jodeci would have done something? Or Four Tops and Temptations?" Well, you know, why not 112? So we wanted to do something very different:  the 112, Jagged Edge tour. We're [going to] put a little twist to it. Not [going to] give y'all any clues, but it's [going to] be something you've probably never seen. It's about to very amazing, so buckle your seat belts, dress up, put on your hard bottles, and get ready.

Recording Studio

Recording Studio

News

Ode To Reverb: 8 Examples Of Delightful Decay

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A look at some of the finest uses of one of music's most powerful studio effects: reverb
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 19, 2017 - 5:12 pm

Reverb on a song is a lot like salt on a meal: The right amount can make it exponentially better, but add too much and it's ruined. So which songs offer the best examples of the perfect pinch of reverb? The LANDR Journal recently rounded up their list of eight songs that belong in the "reverb hall of fame."

The selections cover a wide range of eras and genres, but in each instance, the mixing engineer struck the right balance of utility and style. For the former, reverb gives each sound a certain sonic space and can help organize disparate elements by placing certain instruments closer up or farther back in the mix. For the latter, style, reverb can be heavily manipulated and experimented with to create a signature sound.

Such is the case with perhaps the most famous example on LANDR's list, Led Zeppelin's 1971 classic "When The Levee Breaks" from Led Zeppelin IV. John Bonham's drums for this song were famously recorded in the hallway of a three-story staircase with microphones placed all the way at the top of the stairwell, giving the drums a massive sound that engineers have referenced (and tried to duplicate) ever since.

Other notables on the list include Phil Collins' signature use of gated reverb in his 1981 hit "In The Air Tonight," and more recent examples like Grimes' ethereally angelic vocal sound on 2010's "Venus In Fleurs" and inventive artist/producer Blake Mills' convincing and tasteful room sounds on his 2014 instrumental "Shed Your Head."

The next time you're working on a song and need to choose a tracking room or reach for your favorite DAW plug-in, Lexicon 480L or EMT-250, remember to use reverb responsibly but don't be afraid to experiment.

Read More: Kanye West To The Beatles: 5 Expensive Albums By GRAMMY Winners

The War On Drugs

Adam Granduciel

Photo: Shawn Brackbill

News

The War On Drugs: Adam Granduciel On New Album, Guitar & Tom Petty

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The low-key frontman talks shop on recording his band's latest release, 'A Deeper Understanding,' guitar candy and traveling the world
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 13, 2017 - 5:48 pm

Music is inextricably tied to location. From the Bakersfield sound and Seattle grunge to New York hardcore punk and West Coast rap, a city and its culture can shape a scene. For psychedelic-rock band The War On Drugs, the soulful and experimental musical mecca of Philadelphia has been home since their formation in 2005.

The War On Drugs: How Neil Young Inspired New LP

So when it came time for frontman Adam Granduciel to start creating what would become the band's fourth studio album, A Deeper Understanding, the choice to record in Los Angeles was truly a musical one. Rock albums by Granduciel's heroes, including Neil Young and Warren Zevon, captured a different sentiment that drew him in and ultimately helped shape the band's most inventive album to date, which Rolling Stone described as "an abstract-expressionist mural of synth-pop and heartland rock colored by bruised optimism and some of [Granduciel's] most generous, incandescent guitar ever."

We sat down with Granduciel recently at Recording Academy headquarters to talk about L.A.'s influence on A Deeper Understanding, how he likes to see the world on tour, what he'd ask Jimmy Iovine, and his parting thoughts on the loss of Tom Petty.

A Deeper Understanding's sonic layers are lush and mesmerizing but the songs they're built on are crafty, beautiful and dark. What was the biggest difference in the songwriting process between this album and 2013's Lost In The Dream?
I just wanted to be more prepared on my end so that if I was writing more and demoing stuff more, I could present [ideas] to the band and the spontaneity in the recording could be of a different sort.

I rented out my own studio in Los Angeles and tried to go every day, whether it [was] writing on the piano or guitar or work on demos. I started eight months before [while] on the road. I just ended up having more songs than I ever had in the past.

There's so much guitar candy on this record. What were the specific guitar influences for this album?
We did this benefit where Neil Young played as well. He was playing his classic Gretsch White Falcon guitar with the Bigsby [tremolo]. We were watching the dress rehearsal from the side stage. I was actually sitting on his amp rig and watching him rehearse. He was just going off with [the] bar. I was like, "Oh, it's so expressive." I have the same guitar but mine didn't have the bar. After that show, I put the Bigsby on that Gretsch of mine. Then, two nights later, we recorded three songs that are on the record. A lot of the inspiration [came] from that expressive quality of that Bigsby but I was [also] just thinking about all my favorite players, whether it was Neil or Mike Campbell — guys that use that bar and just try to find another way to connect with the guitar.

Speaking of Neil Young, in a Pitchfork interview you name-checked him and Warren Zevon for making "L.A. records." What effect do you think recording in L.A. had on A Deeper Understanding?
Well, I think a few things. First, I would always think of an L.A. record as "sunny" or something, but then I started thinking, "Well, my favorite records that were made here are dark and sad and lonely." I never really lived here before, so I didn't really think I understood. I think from an East Coast point of view, you'd be like, "Oh, a California record's a sunny record." It's like you spend three hours in the studio because the rest of the time you must be at the beach.

[But] the cool thing was that, unlike any other city, there [are] all these places in L.A. There are so many resources for a recording musician, like studios of all levels, you know? [There are] so many world-class studios, but I would never have been able to have rented the place that I rented out anywhere else. It was just this mid-level studio that is pretty much a stand-alone building on the East side with a really great mic collection, Pro Tools and two rooms. It wasn't fancy, but it was perfect for what I needed. I was able to bring my own stuff in. The ability to work every day was a big part of L.A.'s effect on my process and the band coming out from Philly once a month.

You have a fan in Jimmy Iovine. Have you met the man before? What would you ask him if you could?
Actually, I have, but in the moment I wasn't prepared to ask him anything. I guess I'm just a huge fan of all the records he made in the 70's. … Now, he's [a] larger-than-life figure but back then he was just like a kid who loved music and was probably just like all of us — trying to find out how to make a record. There's no formula for it. I guess I [would ask him about working with] Bruce [Springsteen] making Darkness [On The Edge Of Town].

You're on the road now, going across the U.S. and then heading to Europe. When you get to a town, what do you like to do to get a sense of the culture?
I like going out to find a local coffee shop. It's embarrassing to admit that I have an app called Beanhunter, which tells me the closest single-origin coffee I can get. Last tour, I really got into the whole sub-culture. I had the hand grinder and the single origin — then the Aeropress [coffee maker] and the scale.

I also love trying to find an awesome guitar shop because I just like to go in and play guitar for an hour or two. [And] record stores. Now, we actually have a backstage record player we tour with in its own case, so it makes buying records on the road a little easier because you actually can be like, "Oh, I want something to pump me up for tonight's show," or "tomorrow when we load in, I want to chill out to this."

One last question: We lost the great Tom Petty recently. How important was he to you as a songwriter and as an artist?
[He's] one of my favorites. ... He had a catalog of hits before I was of age. Then, when I was in my teens, Wildflowers came out [in 1994] — maybe to some it was like a new kind of Tom Petty, but it hit me so intensely when that record came out. It was like a reintroduction to a lot of different kinds of music for me. His band was so important to him. The Heartbreakers were what you imagine being in a band would be like — best buddies and great players and guys who took it all really seriously.

As he grew older, his material was just as relevant and just as exciting and the band's just as killer. … It seems surreal that there's no more Tom Petty, in person. It's true that the music lives on because [with] a guy like that, [there are] centuries of information there.