A Quote by John Legend

John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. — © John Legend
John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name.
John legend is a nickname that somebody started calling me a while ago and part of it is 'cos I sound like an old man when I sing.
Freshman year of college, one of my coaches was out with family friends or whatever. Somebody said my name and kind of stuttered it or mumbled it. He was like, 'What'd you say? Mr. Biscuit?' instead of Mitchell Trubisky. It kind of stuck that week of practice, and that's what all the boys started calling me.
I started singing to this one John Legend record; it was called 'Each Day Gets Better,' or something like that. I started to realize, 'Wow, I really sound like this dude. If I keep doing this, maybe I can sound dope like John Legend and still rap.'
My stage name is actually my nickname given to me by my dad when I was a baby.
In Australia, everyone gets a nickname and people started calling me "Izzy" and I hated it so I just adopted Bella.
I used a kind of gray-green early on in my practice for painting steel, to make it look more like it had a kind of patina to it, like copper and bronze and so on. The color I used was a Benjamin Moore color called 2012. My then-young daughter started calling me 2012 - it was my nickname.
Sometimes a nickname is used instead of the real name. But a nickname may offend either the one named or the parents who gave the name.
My dad loved Deco as a player. He started calling me Deco as a nickname around the house.
'Shaggy' was a nickname before it was ever a stage name. I have no problem with it.
What matters is performances, regardless of what the name is, whether it's The Rock - which is my nickname and people call me that all the time - it's no big deal. So, whether it's The Rock or Dwayne Johnson, in terms of being recognised I just think that the goal is to be recognised as a good actor. I don't put much thought or weight into the name, or the name change, or what it is, or what does it mean? It's just a nickname.
I have a strange situation as far as my name is concerned, because of course, what should my name really be? Is it my traditional Jewish name? Or this curious name my parents put together, partially to honor departed family members, and partially to keep me away from the absolute craziness of my grandparents' fame and the intrusiveness of their fans? So many people call me "MTT," and some do say, "Oh Maestro," and some are comfortable calling me Michael.
Then, in 2000, John Reid, Elton John's former manager, asked me to audition for the stage version of The Graduate he was producing. So I worked on it, got the part, and after three weeks' rehearsal I was on stage!
I started by doing a little funny story, and then I started going to open mics. I realized I had a lot of work to do - you have to get over the stage fright and get your stage presence up. It took me some time, but I finally feel that I'm at a point where I feel comfortable on stage and giving my point of view.
I got that nickname my first spring training camp with the Expos in 1974. Tim Foli, Ken Singleton and Mike Jorgensen started calling me 'Kid' because I was trying to win every sprint. I was trying to hit every pitch out of the park.
In America, people really struggle with my name, so I don't have a nickname as such. I've had Sharlito, Sheldon, Charldo, really interesting variations on the name. Some of them can get it, but many can't.
To have my name said like, "Common and John Legend, Golden Globe nominees," is one of the greatest achievements I've ever had as an artist, as a person.
This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. More info...
Got it!