When you have a name like Legend, it's a challenge to live up to but John Legend has done it time and time again. From creating some of today's most renowned and iconic tracks to earning EGOT status, the multi-award-winning artist is nothing but legendary and his latest album is a testament to just that. 

Earlier this month, John Legend released his highly anticipated self-titled album, LEGEND which dives into the multihyphenate's journey of pain, love, and healing inspired by the many phases of his life. 

"The album really represents who I am—all of my influences, my inspirations, my stories and experiences, from joy and celebration to pain and challenges. All of those emotions are in the album," said Legend at a press conference earlier this month. 

"It's really so much of who I am and it's me pouring my heart and soul into one project. I thought it'd be good to name this album a self-titled album because it really represents me as an artist in a very full, thorough way. And I felt like, what the album cover was me with no shirt on just burying myself to the world, was me baring my emotions to the world through the music."

The album explores the many sides of love through Legend's own perspective, diving into what love means in all its forms. "Whether it's new love, whether it's infatuation, whether it's lust, whether it's sensuality, or whether it's going through tough times with someone—this album represents all of that," the singer shared. 

Divided into two parts, the 'Wonder Woman' act explained that the album is a summation of his artistry at this point of his life and career, showcasing the pinnacle of his art and musicality. 

"I'm so in love with the whole album. I chose every song because I really loved them—we had so many songs to choose from and every single song in the album I really love and put so much care into making it perfect for everyone," said Legend. "This felt like a body of work that I was really proud of, and a statement about where I've been emotionally and creatively in the past two years.

Beyond a stunning tracklist filled with so much emotion and heart, LEGEND also features a star-studded lineup of collaborators. From prolific producers Ryan Tedder to critically acclaimed artists like Jhené Aiko and Jazmine Sullivan, the album is a melting pot of musical flavours. 

"I've always been very collaborative," said Legend on his collaborative process. "It's always great to bring people like Rick Ros, JID, and Rapsody onto the album. I also love doing duets with great singers and Jazmine Sullivan is one of my favourite singers in the world, so is Ledisi. Each of them brought such great energy to the album and remark as well and they made the album better with their presence. I think that's what great collaboration is all about: someone bringing their own strengths to the table, something that complements what I do, and making the project better with their presence."

LEGEND comes as the renowned singer's first release under Republic Records, following his departure from his long-time label Columbia Records, and his much-awaited release since 2020's Bigger Love. 

Listen to John Legend's LEGEND here.