Photos: Courtesy of THE VOICE, NBC
John Legend, the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist, will appear on our March/April cover, alongside a feature profile in which he speaks with us about a number of topics, including his greatest career highlight and his connection to our area.
The EGOT winner (an acronym given to people who have won all four of the major performing-arts awards in North America: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award), returns to The Voice for its 29th season tonight for the "Battle of Champions" season, which features only three coaches—himself, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson.
Legend has expressed close, familial ties with both Clarkson and Levine, describing them as colleagues with whom he shares genuine love, respect and long-term friendship.
“I’m excited to be back with Kelly and Adam. We’ve been looking forward to this for awhile—since we all figured out that we were going to be doing it together,” he shared. “We’re having so much fun. This is a good group…a very good group.”
He promises this will be an exciting season with the return of some old favorites.
“This is the special season. This season we are doing something special. We've got new twists and turns, new bells and whistles, all champion coaches and it's never been this intense,” he offered. “We’re actually going to have some champion Voice winners come back and sing this season. I’m bringing back Madeline Jarman and Renzo from Philadelphia.”
He says that while the show is always competitive, he’s fully in it to win this time out.
“This is the battle of champions. I'm against two [champions]. This season is definitely the most competitive. So that means we're going to be tough on these artists. They're gonna really impress us to make that top 30,” he explained. “I’m ready to be the true champion. I really wanna win this season.”
RETURNING TO TAMPA BAY
It’s also a winning season for Tampa Bay as Legend makes his return to the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on March 18th at 8pm to kick off his new tour, An Evening of Songs & Stories, an intimate theater experience.
The powerhouse performer doesn’t need more than a piano and microphone to enthrall an audience with his megawatt talent. The show will feature intimate renditions of Legend’s greatest hits (All of Me, Ordinary People, Tonight) as well as covers of songs that influenced him. Throughout the evening, he’ll weave in stories from his personal life and his career.
He says the show strips away the typical arena spectacle and allows him to have an intimate connection with the audience and allows them to get to know him as he reminisces about his childhood, family, early days in the business, the story behind the songs and his highlights from the past twenty years.
“This is one of my favorite things to do. There's something really special about these nights—just you and me, the piano and the stories behind the songs,” he shared. “These songs have become an iconic part of my identity as an artist…and have meant a lot to a lot of people. I think music is a great connector. It makes us all feel our humanity and it's a way of taking down walls and building bridges and making us feel closer to each other.”
The Voice premieres tonight, Monday, Feb 23rd, on NBC and the following day on Peacock. For tickets to An Evening of Songs & Stories at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on March 18th, visit rutheckerdhall.com or call (727) 791-7400. The venue does offer preshow dining options prior to the show.
