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John Legend is one of the most famous American singers with an astounding net worth of about $80 million through his successful career in the music industry. It can be fascinating to know the ways he earns and spends his millions.
John Roger Stephens or John Legend was born in 1978 in Springfield, Ohio, United States. He is currently a singer and a songwriter, record producer, actor, movie producer, and philanthropist. John had a working-class family; his father was a factory worker, and his mother was a seamstress. Nevertheless, what inspired him to take on music was also his family background.
His parents were also in the church choir. According to The Wealthy Genius, his mother was the singer and the director of the choir music, while his father was a drummer. Thus, he had exposure to music from a very young age. John learned to play the piano at the age of 4 and joined the choir at 7. He was also a child prodigy and was so brilliant at academics that he could skip two grades.
The singer took his college education very seriously and participated in a lot of music activities simultaneously. He joined a jazz acapella group called The Counterparts and soon became the president and director of it. He also landed a job as a pianist for Lauryn Hill’s debut album ‘Everything is Everything.’
Here are some ways the singer earns and spends his millions.
Earns: Successful Music Career
Right after graduating from college with a degree in English, John legend got an opportunity to work with Lauren Hill as a pianist. Following this, he worked with Kanye West, and it gave him a chance to launch himself in the mainstream music industry where he could meet other talents to work with. He also collaborated with artists like Fergie, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige.
Legend’s debut studio album called Get Lifted finally came out in 2004. According to InspirationFeed, his first single became a commercial success and a favorite among critics. It scored a Number 7 on the US Billboard 200, selling about 116,000 copies within one week of its release. In two years, it also won the Grammy Award for Best R & B Album.
John released his second album titled ‘Once Again’ the same year, and it reached Number 3 on the Billboard 200. He won the 2007 Grammy for one of the singles called ‘Heaven,’ and it is also one of the most popular songs he is known for. The singer also won the award in the category Best Male R & B Vocal Performance.
Spends: Real Estate
Legend has been married to Chrissy Teigen for almost eight years, and they purchased a luxury mansion together in April 2020. According to Celebrity Net Worth, this West Hollywood home in California cost them an extravagant $5.1 million. Legend and his wife also own another property in the neighborhood in Beverly Hills.
Legend is big on luxury estates, and he owns about two penthouses in New York City. One of these was purchased in May 2018 for $9 million, and the other costs about $8 million. Their latest purchase in real estate was another Beverly Hills mansion that cost them about $17.5 million.
Earns: A Successful TV Career
Other than releasing one successful music album after another, including Evolver (2008), Love in the Future (2013), Darkness and Light (2016), A Legendary Christmas (2018), and Bigger Love (2020), John Legend has also performed in movies and shows. His first movie was Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You! After which, he also appeared in shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm (2006) and Dancing with the Stars (2010).
According to Cosmopolitan, John earned a significant amount of his wealth by being the Judge on the famous reality show, The Voice. He has been on the show for five seasons, which has earned him $12 million every season. His net income from The voice amounts to a jaw-dropping $60 million.
Spends: Philanthropy
John Legend is well known for all the charities he spends in. According to Look To The Stars, the pop star visited Ghana after reading The End of Poverty by Dr. Jeffrey. He was very keen on helping the African people and bringing about a difference in the state of their livelihoods.
He is also the brain behind the Show Me Campaign and Millennium Promise that provides essential resources to the impoverished people of Africa. For example, mosquito nets to fight the untimely deaths caused by malaria and food supplies to children alongside accessible education facilities.
John Legend also has a knack for wine; He has a wine brand of his own. Currently, he has an astounding net worth of about $80 million. How he spends his money to make the lives of the unprivileged better is indeed exemplary.
Source: Look To The Stars, Cosmopolitan, Celebrity Net Worth, InspirationFeed, The Wealthy Genius