WEBVTT - John Legend 0:00:15.316 --> 0:00:37.876 Pushkin m M good Now from hide Loe. Just say 0:00:38.156 --> 0:00:45.076 ohoo woo woo woo. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa 0:00:45.596 --> 0:00:51.716 whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. That's me with John Legend, singer, songwriter, actor, 0:00:51.916 --> 0:00:55.436 record producer and film producer too and rolling your head 0:00:55.476 --> 0:01:06.316 to keep your neck relax. Who rolling your shoulders? Who 0:01:11.836 --> 0:01:26.556 moving your arms? This is backstage passed with me Eric Vitro, 0:01:26.796 --> 0:01:29.156 And I have to say I really love my job. 0:01:29.476 --> 0:01:32.276 I'm a vocal coach to some pretty famous singers and 0:01:32.396 --> 0:01:34.676 on this show, I'll talk to them about their lives, 0:01:34.676 --> 0:01:37.476 their craft and what it takes to make it really big. 0:01:41.356 --> 0:01:44.716 So we met backstage in the green room of one 0:01:44.716 --> 0:01:48.756 of Arianna Grande's concerts in La and I love meeting 0:01:48.796 --> 0:01:51.396 people who I think are talented and accomplished self. Of course, 0:01:51.436 --> 0:01:54.316 I was really excited to meet you. I was calmer 0:01:54.396 --> 0:01:56.636 than I would have been, only because it all happened 0:01:56.676 --> 0:01:58.476 so fast. I didn't have time to go, oh my god, 0:01:58.516 --> 0:02:02.676 I'm meeting John Lynchend and the amazing Aaron Rosenberg, our 0:02:02.756 --> 0:02:06.436 lawyer mutual friend introduced us. And you were so easy 0:02:06.476 --> 0:02:08.516 to talk to, so I was thrilled when you actually 0:02:08.556 --> 0:02:12.196 called lessons. Well, I was so impressed with Ariana's show, 0:02:12.316 --> 0:02:15.756 and I had been thinking about as I was finishing 0:02:15.956 --> 0:02:19.556 my bigger love album and thinking about touring and what 0:02:19.556 --> 0:02:21.316 we were going to do for the next album. I 0:02:21.356 --> 0:02:25.996 hadn't been coached vocally for quite a while, and I 0:02:26.036 --> 0:02:28.836 thought it was time to brush up on my skills 0:02:28.836 --> 0:02:35.396 and get better at preserving my voice, placing things correctly 0:02:35.596 --> 0:02:39.436 in my voice, and just thinking about longevity for it. Right. Well, 0:02:39.436 --> 0:02:41.316 you just answered my question because I was going to 0:02:41.356 --> 0:02:42.916 say a lot of people would say, why in the 0:02:42.956 --> 0:02:46.396 world would he go to a coach at this stage 0:02:46.396 --> 0:02:49.356 of the game. Well, I had very little coaching in 0:02:49.436 --> 0:02:52.556 my life, to be clear. So I grew up singing 0:02:52.556 --> 0:02:56.716 in church and everything was kind of self taught in 0:02:56.756 --> 0:02:58.396 so many ways, and you just went out there and 0:02:58.436 --> 0:03:01.516 did it. And I thought I was really good at singing, 0:03:01.756 --> 0:03:04.756 but I wasn't singing in a way that was healthy, 0:03:05.196 --> 0:03:08.556 and it wasn't built for the long haul the way 0:03:08.596 --> 0:03:11.956 I was singing back then. And so I did take 0:03:11.996 --> 0:03:14.276 some lessons in New York early on in my career 0:03:14.316 --> 0:03:16.196 because I was getting beat up. I was trying to 0:03:16.236 --> 0:03:20.796 do everything to get seen and heard, and my voice 0:03:20.876 --> 0:03:23.836 just could not handle it. So I started getting some 0:03:23.916 --> 0:03:25.956 coaching in New York, but it was kind of in 0:03:25.996 --> 0:03:28.676 an emergency situation, like, Oh, I need to do this 0:03:28.796 --> 0:03:31.316 right now because I'm beating up my voice right now. 0:03:32.156 --> 0:03:35.476 And every other time I had done coaching since then 0:03:35.636 --> 0:03:37.596 had still been in kind of like, oh, things are 0:03:37.636 --> 0:03:42.476 going badly or I need some emergency help. And so 0:03:42.716 --> 0:03:45.716 for the first time with you, I wanted to do 0:03:45.756 --> 0:03:49.436 it ahead of time, before the tour so that I 0:03:49.476 --> 0:03:54.956 could start doing better practices and have more longevity and 0:03:55.316 --> 0:03:58.276 just be more healthy on tour. Yeah. I think if 0:03:58.316 --> 0:04:02.076 people have not ever done any voice lessons, they don't 0:04:02.076 --> 0:04:05.356 realize the value in the warming up process. Absolutely, you 0:04:05.476 --> 0:04:08.356 just learned so much. And I was just not breathing correctly. 0:04:08.396 --> 0:04:12.276 I was not projecting correctly, and it sounded fine, but 0:04:12.636 --> 0:04:16.156 it wasn't healthy in a way that would be sustainable. 0:04:16.516 --> 0:04:21.716 Right well, now it's gonna be yes. John's world famous 0:04:21.756 --> 0:04:25.116 for his songs all of Me, Love Me, Now, Ordinary People, 0:04:25.316 --> 0:04:28.596 and many more. Do you sit down at the piano 0:04:28.636 --> 0:04:30.636 when you're writing a song? Is to always begin at 0:04:30.676 --> 0:04:33.356 the piano? Not every song. All of Me began at 0:04:33.356 --> 0:04:36.356 the piano. But ordinary people another piano ballot did not 0:04:36.436 --> 0:04:39.916 begin at the piano. It started with will I am 0:04:39.956 --> 0:04:43.796 playing me a beat that he had made, and the 0:04:43.876 --> 0:04:46.956 beat had an instrumental with the same chord progression as 0:04:47.196 --> 0:04:50.156 ordinary people ended up having, and so I started singing 0:04:50.196 --> 0:04:53.596 to the chord progression. So either way, I'm usually singing 0:04:53.676 --> 0:04:56.156 to a chord progression, whether I'm playing it myself on 0:04:56.196 --> 0:05:00.756 the piano or I'm playing with a guitarist, maybe sitting 0:05:00.796 --> 0:05:03.276 down with the guitarist. I don't play guitar, but I 0:05:03.436 --> 0:05:06.356 work with the songwriters who do, and so sometimes they'll 0:05:06.396 --> 0:05:09.556 start strumming some chords that'll inspire me to sing a melody. 0:05:09.876 --> 0:05:12.516 I'm usually more of the top line guy, as we 0:05:12.596 --> 0:05:14.916 call it in our business. So the top line is 0:05:14.956 --> 0:05:19.036 the vocal melody and the lyric. So with ordinary people 0:05:20.316 --> 0:05:29.956 women molodin mad, I start mumbling, we' been, momlin baton bone, we' 0:05:30.076 --> 0:05:37.236 been though, So I start scatting melodies, and those melodies 0:05:37.356 --> 0:05:40.996 containing them rhythms, and they contain kind of a cadence 0:05:41.036 --> 0:05:43.796 for what the lyric might sound like, but they don't 0:05:43.796 --> 0:05:47.436 make any sense, and so eventually I go from that 0:05:47.556 --> 0:05:50.996 mumble track to a lyric. Once I figure out what 0:05:51.036 --> 0:05:53.396 story I want to tell, how I want to approach 0:05:53.396 --> 0:05:58.156 the story. That melody in your voice goes so perfectly together. 0:05:58.316 --> 0:05:59.876 Maybe it's just because I know it so well, but 0:06:00.356 --> 0:06:03.596 really it's so beautiful and thank you so perfect. So 0:06:03.996 --> 0:06:05.956 has there ever been a piano riff that you came 0:06:06.036 --> 0:06:08.436 up with that ended up then going into a song 0:06:08.476 --> 0:06:11.556 because you know, I like this drip, I'm gonna wow 0:06:11.916 --> 0:06:15.596 so with all of me. It's interesting because we started 0:06:15.636 --> 0:06:18.476 out with the pattern being like this on the intro, 0:06:26.076 --> 0:06:28.556 but we ended up deciding that it would sound better 0:06:28.716 --> 0:06:33.076 starting clean and a little straighter and less busy, and 0:06:33.476 --> 0:06:44.396 we ended up going with why would I do without 0:06:44.636 --> 0:06:48.356 your smarting Mountain? And it felt better and then it 0:06:48.476 --> 0:06:50.316 felt like it drove the song in the right way. 0:06:50.756 --> 0:06:53.196 And then we finally went to their appeggio for the chorus, 0:06:56.116 --> 0:07:03.036 Who's all of Me loves all of you, love y'all 0:07:03.156 --> 0:07:29.436 curves and all your edges. You know, Yeah, when that 0:07:29.556 --> 0:07:33.476 opens up into that car, it's just amazing. So that's 0:07:33.476 --> 0:07:37.036 with a friend of mine, Toby gad You, and partly 0:07:37.116 --> 0:07:40.996 getting in his studio house studio and sitting on the 0:07:40.996 --> 0:07:43.156 piano and trying to figure it out. And it's funny. 0:07:43.156 --> 0:07:45.276 My manager said, you should write a song to Chrissy 0:07:45.436 --> 0:07:49.516 that's kind of like She's always a woman, the classic 0:07:49.796 --> 0:07:54.476 Billy Joel song. And this was my take on that prompt. Amazing. 0:07:54.916 --> 0:07:57.716 How cool that that one suggestion to write a song 0:07:57.756 --> 0:08:01.596 about your wife created such an iconic song now, I 0:08:01.676 --> 0:08:04.036 know partly because Toby's told me that song has a 0:08:04.036 --> 0:08:06.636 lot of distinctions and awards, right, Oh, I mean, it's 0:08:06.796 --> 0:08:09.036 one of the biggest songs in the history of music. 0:08:09.156 --> 0:08:14.276 Tell us the statistics. I think there's only a few 0:08:14.316 --> 0:08:17.316 songs in the world that have gone thirteen times platinum, 0:08:17.796 --> 0:08:21.156 and it's one of them. And that's huge and of 0:08:21.196 --> 0:08:23.276 course the biggest song in my career, but it would 0:08:23.316 --> 0:08:25.116 be the biggest song for anybody because they're pretty much 0:08:25.516 --> 0:08:29.516 and it was my first number one. I didn't know 0:08:29.556 --> 0:08:32.356 that first and only so far. Well, we've still got 0:08:32.476 --> 0:08:36.156 plenty of time. It's such a beautiful, beautiful song. Thank you. 0:08:36.836 --> 0:08:39.916 And let's not forget John has a ton of awards already. 0:08:39.996 --> 0:08:42.476 I mean he's an egot, which means he has an 0:08:42.476 --> 0:08:46.236 Emmy and oscar a Tony and twelve Grammys, but no 0:08:46.316 --> 0:08:49.636 big surprise. I mean, he has incredible talent, an amazing 0:08:49.676 --> 0:08:52.916 work ethic, and he's always juggling a million things. I 0:08:53.036 --> 0:08:56.156 know more than anybody else. How busy you are. Every 0:08:56.196 --> 0:08:58.356 single time we do a lesson, you are on your 0:08:58.356 --> 0:09:01.596 way to something. Yeah, I stay pretty busy. I stay 0:09:01.636 --> 0:09:07.916 booked like constantly. So obviously your piano skills have been 0:09:07.956 --> 0:09:10.596 a huge part of your career, right, it goes with 0:09:10.676 --> 0:09:13.756 your singing and your songwriting. Sure, so tell me a 0:09:13.796 --> 0:09:17.876 little bit about your training. Well, my training I started 0:09:17.996 --> 0:09:20.956 very young. We had a piano in our home, and 0:09:20.996 --> 0:09:23.676 then I was at church all the time. My grandmother 0:09:23.796 --> 0:09:27.196 was the church organist, my mother was the choir director, 0:09:27.796 --> 0:09:30.876 my father played the drums for the choir and sang 0:09:30.876 --> 0:09:34.196 with the choir, and then my grandfather was the pastor. 0:09:34.476 --> 0:09:37.916 So I would be at church all the time. We 0:09:37.916 --> 0:09:43.676 were there for Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, Bible study, choir, rehearsal, 0:09:43.956 --> 0:09:48.116 prayer meeting, revival service. Whenever there was something at the church. 0:09:48.356 --> 0:09:52.516 Our family was running the service and doing something. And 0:09:52.556 --> 0:09:55.116 so I just grew up around a bunch of people 0:09:55.116 --> 0:09:57.236 who made music all the time, and most of it 0:09:57.276 --> 0:10:01.556 was gospel music. But also I started taking piano lessons, 0:10:01.596 --> 0:10:04.956 I learned the basics of music theory, and parallel, I 0:10:05.076 --> 0:10:08.876 was learning gospel music from my grandmother. And in the 0:10:09.116 --> 0:10:12.836 Menecostal church you do still use the hymno and read 0:10:13.076 --> 0:10:15.916 some but a lot of it is by ear, and 0:10:15.996 --> 0:10:18.476 you could be playing in any key and someone could 0:10:18.556 --> 0:10:20.476 randomly start a song, and so you'd have to have 0:10:20.796 --> 0:10:24.556 some improvisational skills and the ability to just pick up 0:10:24.596 --> 0:10:28.036 what's going on, hear it and start playing along. And 0:10:28.116 --> 0:10:32.076 so I really learned how to do that in the church, 0:10:32.316 --> 0:10:37.196 and my grandmother was my main mentor and teacher for that. Wow. Well, 0:10:37.196 --> 0:10:39.396 you know that explains a lot about why you are 0:10:39.436 --> 0:10:41.716 so comfortable and so good and to be able to 0:10:41.796 --> 0:10:44.236 change the keys. Yeah, I'm better at some keys than others. 0:10:44.236 --> 0:10:49.556 But yeah, we had to be flexible and dynamic, and 0:10:49.676 --> 0:10:54.156 the services could take many directions, and so we had 0:10:54.156 --> 0:10:56.116 to be able to roll with it, and so I 0:10:56.196 --> 0:10:59.156 developed a lot of my musical skills in that space. 0:10:59.356 --> 0:11:01.076 Do you remember any of the first hymns that you 0:11:01.156 --> 0:11:04.076 played all those years ago? Oh? Sure, well, of course, 0:11:04.196 --> 0:11:44.116 the classic Beautiful. That was beautiful, That was great, and 0:11:44.156 --> 0:11:46.876 it had its own John legend and the church and 0:11:46.956 --> 0:11:49.556 there had a little bit of everything. And that makes 0:11:49.596 --> 0:11:52.316 sense because, like John said, he was raised with gospel 0:11:52.436 --> 0:11:55.236 music and his grandmother. One time she wasn't going to 0:11:55.276 --> 0:11:57.476 be able to be at service, and the woman that 0:11:57.836 --> 0:11:59.636 was her backup wasn't going to be able to be there, 0:11:59.636 --> 0:12:01.876 and she taught me a couple of songs that I 0:12:01.916 --> 0:12:04.796 had to learn for that specific service for the choir. 0:12:05.236 --> 0:12:07.396 And that was the first time I ever was just 0:12:07.516 --> 0:12:09.796 thrust out there in front of the whole church and 0:12:09.956 --> 0:12:13.196 asked to play when it really mattered, and that was 0:12:13.196 --> 0:12:16.236 pretty cool. Were you nervous, yes, but you did a 0:12:16.236 --> 0:12:19.156 good job. I did, okay. Did you get a lot 0:12:19.156 --> 0:12:22.036 of praise? Yes? And I was young, so I think 0:12:22.036 --> 0:12:24.036 they would have been happy with whatever I did. I 0:12:24.076 --> 0:12:27.516 was like, ey, well, because you know, it's my observation 0:12:27.596 --> 0:12:29.956 that people who have done really well successful in their 0:12:29.996 --> 0:12:32.956 life seem to always have a moment or an incident 0:12:32.996 --> 0:12:35.556 in their life where they're praised when they're pretty young. 0:12:35.636 --> 0:12:37.996 Oh yeah, and that sort of becomes the engine for 0:12:38.036 --> 0:12:40.316 their whole life. I think that's a big part of 0:12:40.356 --> 0:12:43.076 why you start to develop a love for performing, because 0:12:43.276 --> 0:12:46.476 you get all this affirmation and when people tell you 0:12:46.516 --> 0:12:48.316 they love it and they cheer for you and they 0:12:48.356 --> 0:12:50.556 support you, and they make you feel like you did 0:12:50.596 --> 0:12:53.356 something great, it makes you, you know, want more of that. 0:12:53.796 --> 0:12:56.836 I definitely think that's a big part of why I 0:12:56.956 --> 0:13:00.036 enjoy performing. It isn't just for the art of creating 0:13:00.036 --> 0:13:02.716 the song. It's for that feeling of joy I get 0:13:02.756 --> 0:13:05.196 when I bring other people joy and they give it 0:13:05.236 --> 0:13:08.356 back to me. Right, So, would you say that church 0:13:09.356 --> 0:13:15.596 moment was probably more inspiring to than even the piano recital, Like, yeah, 0:13:15.636 --> 0:13:18.876 it's more fuel And when you did it at church, 0:13:19.396 --> 0:13:23.236 it felt like you were doing it for people whose 0:13:23.316 --> 0:13:28.396 judgment you trusted and you wanted to impress them. And 0:13:28.436 --> 0:13:31.916 so whenever I would get affirmation in that setting, it 0:13:31.916 --> 0:13:36.276 felt special. Music is so important to our services that 0:13:36.596 --> 0:13:38.436 when you do it right and you feel like you 0:13:38.476 --> 0:13:41.516 did it right and the audience affirms that, it feels 0:13:41.556 --> 0:13:45.036 like you wont you want a battle there? Wow? I've 0:13:45.076 --> 0:13:47.716 never heard anybody say it like that. So if the 0:13:47.836 --> 0:13:50.516 church was clearly your biggest influence when you were young, 0:13:50.916 --> 0:13:54.596 who were your influences as you got older? Well, Stevie wonder, 0:13:54.636 --> 0:13:58.396 I mean it's almost too obvious, but growing up. He 0:13:58.476 --> 0:14:02.556 was such an iconic R and B singer songwriter who 0:14:02.596 --> 0:14:06.396 had written such beautiful songs of every type, you know, 0:14:06.436 --> 0:14:10.036 whether it was you know, classic ballads or beautiful up 0:14:10.036 --> 0:14:14.076 tempo songs like you know, Superstition, or just the full range. 0:14:14.356 --> 0:14:16.476 One of the great solo artists of all time, and 0:14:16.516 --> 0:14:19.276 in my estimation, possibly the greatest. Prince is right up there, 0:14:19.316 --> 0:14:22.516 and there's a few others, but there's very few solo 0:14:22.596 --> 0:14:26.156 artists that have had the longevity and the awesomeness that 0:14:26.236 --> 0:14:29.596 Stevie's had over his career. And as a singer songwriter 0:14:30.036 --> 0:14:33.196 of you know, the same genre and with a lot 0:14:33.236 --> 0:14:36.996 of the same influences, he's been such a big influence 0:14:37.036 --> 0:14:39.956 to me. I also was very influenced by Nat King Cole. 0:14:40.236 --> 0:14:45.756 I I love that crooning, that phrasing, that style that 0:14:45.836 --> 0:14:48.076 he brought to the songs that he performed. And I've 0:14:48.076 --> 0:14:50.716 been listening to him since I was a teenager, and 0:14:50.836 --> 0:14:53.036 you know, even when that wasn't really in vogue for 0:14:53.116 --> 0:14:56.196 someone my age to like him. I was more of 0:14:56.236 --> 0:14:59.156 an old soul and I loved that style and you 0:14:59.196 --> 0:15:02.036 can hear that influence in John songs. This is Nat 0:15:02.076 --> 0:15:11.836 King Cole singing unforgettable, that's what you you are, and 0:15:11.996 --> 0:15:14.716 you hear some of his phrasing in the way I 0:15:14.716 --> 0:15:18.596 will phrase certain things, especially with this one, the Christmas 0:15:18.596 --> 0:15:29.036 song ches nice roasting on an open fire. But even 0:15:29.116 --> 0:15:31.236 in pop music and R and B music that I 0:15:31.396 --> 0:15:34.916 make mainly for a living, I'll still incorporate some of 0:15:34.956 --> 0:15:39.916 that phrasing into genres that you wouldn't associate it with 0:15:40.196 --> 0:15:43.436 as much. So he was an influence. Marvin Gay is 0:15:43.476 --> 0:15:46.516 a big influence for me, both as a vocalist, as 0:15:46.556 --> 0:15:50.596 a creative and trying to find ways to speak to 0:15:50.636 --> 0:15:54.236 the moment that we all live in. He's just iconic 0:15:54.276 --> 0:15:56.796 to me as a as a soul singer. A good 0:15:56.796 --> 0:16:02.916 example is Marvin Gay's What's going on and pick it 0:16:03.036 --> 0:16:11.036 sidish with rough touch, and then you can hear the 0:16:11.076 --> 0:16:17.236 inspiration with John song Glory. When the war is wa 0:16:18.436 --> 0:16:28.116 we will be Shane. We will be Shane who. I 0:16:28.156 --> 0:16:30.716 like him as a singer better than I like Stevie. 0:16:30.996 --> 0:16:36.036 I think Stevie had a more robust and prolific career 0:16:36.276 --> 0:16:39.236 over a longer period of time, of course, but as 0:16:39.236 --> 0:16:42.636 a vocalist I like Marvin a little more. And then 0:16:42.956 --> 0:16:47.196 another vocalist I love is Nina Simone. I love her tone, 0:16:47.436 --> 0:16:53.236 her expressiveness, her creativity as a pianist. She's just like stunning. 0:16:53.796 --> 0:16:57.396 I mean, just listen to the piano and Nina Simones 0:16:57.476 --> 0:17:00.156 I put a spell on you. I put a smell 0:17:00.196 --> 0:17:15.236 on you cause your man and your daughter is named Yes. 0:17:15.276 --> 0:17:18.156 And my daughter's named Luna Simone, and I named her 0:17:18.276 --> 0:17:21.716 with Nina in mind. And then Aretha Franklin is a 0:17:21.756 --> 0:17:25.476 big influence to me. My grandmother actually, her playing style 0:17:25.516 --> 0:17:28.956 reminded me of Aretha's playing style. They both grew up 0:17:29.076 --> 0:17:32.596 in the Midwest. My grandmother was from both Michigan and Ohio. 0:17:33.036 --> 0:17:35.756 She grew up as a daughter of a preacher, a pastor, 0:17:35.876 --> 0:17:39.796 just like Aretha did, and stylistically they had a lot 0:17:39.836 --> 0:17:43.676 in common. So you will hear some of the flourishes 0:17:43.716 --> 0:17:46.636 that I would do that are reminiscent of my grandmother, 0:17:47.356 --> 0:17:49.916 but also similar to some things that Aretha would do 0:17:49.916 --> 0:17:52.636 on the piano because of that similar background. Can you 0:17:52.676 --> 0:17:56.556 give an example of what I mean, Even the way 0:17:56.596 --> 0:17:59.756 I played Amazing Grace in some ways that was like 0:17:59.916 --> 0:18:04.316 reminiscent of that, but just kind of that kind of thing. 0:18:04.396 --> 0:18:07.116 It's kind of like a little honky tonk, a little gospel, 0:18:07.396 --> 0:18:10.796 but it's got kind of that old school flavor to it. 0:18:11.196 --> 0:18:16.756 Listen to Aretha Singer version of Amazing Grace, Amazing Grace, 0:18:35.036 --> 0:18:45.996 the the Shine, and I still carry a lot of 0:18:46.036 --> 0:18:48.636 that with me in the way that I played the piano. 0:18:48.836 --> 0:18:52.836 What about because we've talked about falsetto that the difference 0:18:52.876 --> 0:18:56.716 between Marvin Gaye's falsetto Curtis Mayfield. Yes, can you talk 0:18:56.716 --> 0:18:58.636 a little bit about that, because I found that really 0:18:58.636 --> 0:19:02.396 interesting you listened so closely that one has a little 0:19:02.396 --> 0:19:06.236 more vibrato, Yes, like Curtiss is a little thinner and 0:19:06.316 --> 0:19:10.196 more vibrato, so talking or something with the moon shining 0:19:10.276 --> 0:19:14.116 by name bound, you know, it's like it's a little 0:19:14.156 --> 0:19:18.316 softer and a little more gentle like when Curtis Mayfield 0:19:18.316 --> 0:19:25.316 sings super Fly, And then I think Marvin could wail 0:19:25.356 --> 0:19:36.716 a little more with his falsetto. Oh it's rounder yea yeah, yeah, 0:19:37.356 --> 0:19:39.996 you know that kind of vibe. You can hear it 0:19:39.996 --> 0:19:52.636 when Marvin gay sings Gotta Give It Up. And then 0:19:52.756 --> 0:19:55.396 some of the other great falsetto singers. I think Prince 0:19:55.516 --> 0:19:58.156 is obviously one of them, and his is a little 0:19:58.196 --> 0:20:02.156 like more funky. He would do a little more cry 0:20:02.196 --> 0:20:05.076 in his voice and like a little more like shriek, 0:20:05.156 --> 0:20:07.996 and it's a little more like dangerous sounding. I just 0:20:08.356 --> 0:20:14.436 won't you. Oh it's the time, yo. I think Marvin 0:20:14.476 --> 0:20:17.356 Gay kind of that was one of the first singers 0:20:17.396 --> 0:20:19.476 I think where I used that expression, telling you that 0:20:19.636 --> 0:20:24.076 yawn sensation. And Nina, yes, yeah, you know, Nina Simone 0:20:24.116 --> 0:20:26.756 had that as well. And Smokey was more like Curtis. 0:20:26.796 --> 0:20:30.916 I think Smokey Robinson more kind of whispery, a ready sound, 0:20:31.596 --> 0:20:45.956 a little thinner, kind of a gentle vibrato baby. So 0:20:46.076 --> 0:20:47.836 those are some of the icons I think of singing 0:20:47.836 --> 0:20:51.636 in falsetto. And I gotta say, as obvious as it is, 0:20:51.716 --> 0:20:55.116 it needs to be said with that falsetto. John is 0:20:55.116 --> 0:20:57.596 on that list too. When we come back, he and 0:20:57.636 --> 0:20:59.956 I will talk about our voice lessons together and his 0:21:00.036 --> 0:21:04.476 work on the voice as a vocal coach. All right 0:21:04.476 --> 0:21:13.836 here on backstage Pass with Eric Vitro, and now more 0:21:13.836 --> 0:21:17.236 of my conversation with John Legend here on backstage Pass 0:21:17.276 --> 0:21:20.356 with Eric Vietrow. So let me ask you this. Since 0:21:20.356 --> 0:21:23.476 we've been working together, have there been any surprises? Are 0:21:23.476 --> 0:21:25.876 there things that maybe you didn't expect to learn. Durner 0:21:25.996 --> 0:21:30.276 Voice Lessons, Well, I was doing things a little bit 0:21:30.316 --> 0:21:34.996 wrong the whole time, you know, going into our learning. 0:21:35.036 --> 0:21:37.356 And I won't blame it on past teachers, because I 0:21:37.356 --> 0:21:39.036 think I just forgot a lot of what they taught me. 0:21:39.596 --> 0:21:43.796 But I feel like I'm singing with better technique than 0:21:43.836 --> 0:21:47.516 I ever did. I've spent more time and energy and 0:21:48.116 --> 0:21:51.476 during downtime. I think it's important because when I was 0:21:51.516 --> 0:21:53.076 doing it, like in the middle of a tour, when 0:21:53.076 --> 0:21:56.236 I'm already stressed and tired, like that wasn't the right 0:21:56.236 --> 0:21:59.196 time to do it. The fact that I've been doing 0:21:59.196 --> 0:22:01.636 it during times when I haven't been stressed and the 0:22:01.796 --> 0:22:04.836 pressure hasn't been high, I think it made me really 0:22:04.876 --> 0:22:07.396 focus on it more and learn more from it and 0:22:07.596 --> 0:22:09.636 be able to work it into my performance is better 0:22:10.036 --> 0:22:13.516 for people listening. Do you have any rituals before the shows? 0:22:13.556 --> 0:22:16.716 I mean, obviously now the warm up, the vocal warm up. Else, 0:22:17.036 --> 0:22:20.156 I drink a lot of water and tea and try 0:22:20.156 --> 0:22:22.716 to steam up or humidify or whatever we can do. 0:22:23.356 --> 0:22:25.276 And then I like to have a little food right 0:22:25.276 --> 0:22:27.276 before my show too. I don't know if that's advised 0:22:27.276 --> 0:22:29.756 by the Eric Vitro school of But I like to 0:22:29.756 --> 0:22:32.356 have like hot food because it makes me feel like 0:22:32.956 --> 0:22:36.116 less dry. Huh. I would say, just as long as 0:22:36.116 --> 0:22:38.716 you're not over eating to your stuff, do you don't 0:22:38.716 --> 0:22:40.196 want to be stuff, because then you can be tired. 0:22:40.316 --> 0:22:42.156 I like to eat like a little roasted chicken, like 0:22:42.276 --> 0:22:44.956 a little something with a little uh perfect, a little 0:22:45.196 --> 0:22:47.236 a little grease, but not too much, and like it 0:22:47.316 --> 0:22:49.956 just kind of warms me up. Yeah, no, that's perfect. 0:22:50.036 --> 0:22:53.596 Roasted chicken, roasted vegetables. Yes, I do that. Yeah, things 0:22:53.596 --> 0:22:56.556 like that I think are really helpful. It helps me 0:22:56.596 --> 0:23:02.036 feel a little warmer. And also not to get too graphic, 0:23:02.116 --> 0:23:03.836 but when you have a little food in your stomach, 0:23:03.836 --> 0:23:06.196 you do not to keep running to the bathroom. Yeah, exactly, 0:23:06.716 --> 0:23:09.836 Yeah that no, I mean that is a huge key 0:23:09.956 --> 0:23:12.236 for people. You're drinking all this water and if you 0:23:12.236 --> 0:23:14.116 don't have any food to absorb it, it's like, oh 0:23:14.196 --> 0:23:18.116 I gotta go yep every twenty minutes. Yeah, And I 0:23:18.156 --> 0:23:20.116 know people say, oh my got it ruined my show 0:23:20.116 --> 0:23:23.236 because that's all I thought about. Yeah, you know, do 0:23:23.316 --> 0:23:26.636 you think is there anything you would say? The word 0:23:26.716 --> 0:23:30.276 sacrifice is too strong? But you know, sacrifice things that 0:23:30.396 --> 0:23:33.716 you've done to take care of your voice or your hands. Well, 0:23:33.916 --> 0:23:36.356 part of it's not talking a lot during the tour, 0:23:36.676 --> 0:23:41.196 and it's frustrating to everybody around you, your significant other, 0:23:41.316 --> 0:23:45.116 your kids. I just talk way less and try to 0:23:45.156 --> 0:23:47.436 preserve the health of my voice. I don't drink when 0:23:47.476 --> 0:23:51.276 I'm on tour alcohol. I try to manage my asset reflux, 0:23:51.316 --> 0:23:54.796 all those things that could get in the way of 0:23:54.796 --> 0:23:57.676 you putting on a great performance. So you know, I'm 0:23:57.796 --> 0:24:00.676 I'm much more strict with myself. Yeah, I would say 0:24:00.756 --> 0:24:03.116 that this tour you probably can talk a little bit 0:24:03.116 --> 0:24:05.316 more than maybe you have in the past, as long 0:24:05.356 --> 0:24:08.036 as you keep the placement upfront, right, we've talked about 0:24:08.436 --> 0:24:10.636 and even more up your speaking voice in the morning 0:24:10.636 --> 0:24:12.956 if you have to do an interview, right, so you're ready. 0:24:13.036 --> 0:24:16.036 You start supporting your speaking voice, just like you're supporting 0:24:16.036 --> 0:24:19.396 your singing voice. Right. So if you do those things 0:24:19.636 --> 0:24:22.116 during the day when you do talk, what will happen 0:24:22.236 --> 0:24:24.836 is you'll start feeling like you're actually warming up your 0:24:24.876 --> 0:24:27.356 singing voice. What if I don't want to talk, well, 0:24:27.396 --> 0:24:30.516 then let me rephrase that. You know what, John, If 0:24:30.516 --> 0:24:33.396 I were you, if your wife is listening, you should 0:24:33.396 --> 0:24:40.556 not be talking at all silent. I'm kidding. I love 0:24:40.596 --> 0:24:43.196 working with John and our Voice lessons, but I also 0:24:43.236 --> 0:24:45.956 love watching him on the singing competition show The Voice, 0:24:45.996 --> 0:24:50.036 where he's a vocal coach himself. Have our lessons influence 0:24:50.196 --> 0:24:55.276 in anyway? Yeah? Absolutely. I can hear what people are 0:24:55.316 --> 0:24:57.756 doing wrong and try to give them better advice to 0:24:57.796 --> 0:25:01.316 help them do better. And frankly, I'm around some of 0:25:01.356 --> 0:25:05.436 your students as well, including Ariana Grande and my guest 0:25:05.476 --> 0:25:08.356 mentor on this season is Camila Cabello, who's another student 0:25:08.356 --> 0:25:11.476 of yours, and I hear your advice through them too. 0:25:11.916 --> 0:25:17.036 Your influential my friend. Oh John, thank you for saying that. Wow, 0:25:17.076 --> 0:25:19.756 that means so much to me. I really appreciate that 0:25:19.796 --> 0:25:23.076 coming from you. But let me ask you something. Did 0:25:23.116 --> 0:25:24.636 you ever want to be on a show like The 0:25:24.716 --> 0:25:27.716 Voice when you were young? When I was seven eight, 0:25:28.156 --> 0:25:32.356 I would watch Star Search from Hollywood be entertainment capital 0:25:32.396 --> 0:25:40.236 of the world. I would watch the Grammys and see 0:25:40.436 --> 0:25:44.356 artists on television doing what I wanted to do, and 0:25:44.476 --> 0:25:47.796 I envisioned it for myself. I even submitted a Star 0:25:47.876 --> 0:25:52.436 Search audition tape when I was like fourteen fifteen. I 0:25:52.476 --> 0:25:55.676 really wanted to be discovered in any way that I 0:25:55.716 --> 0:25:58.036 could figure out how they didn't take, And they didn't take, 0:25:58.236 --> 0:26:01.076 Oh well, I bet they're suffering now. I won the 0:26:01.156 --> 0:26:04.516 Local Like competition. It was at our new mall. They 0:26:04.556 --> 0:26:06.396 thought one of their promotions could be to have like 0:26:06.436 --> 0:26:10.036 a local star search. I won the Low Cool competition. 0:26:10.356 --> 0:26:12.756 It got me five hundred dollars worth of a gift 0:26:12.836 --> 0:26:16.036 certificate to the mall, and so I bought like back 0:26:16.076 --> 0:26:20.236 to school clothes there and the tape from that performance 0:26:20.316 --> 0:26:25.996 was submitted to the national television show and I didn't 0:26:25.996 --> 0:26:29.476 make it. Oh well, it's worked out. I'm doing just fine. 0:26:29.516 --> 0:26:31.156 But you know, I know what it's like to be 0:26:31.196 --> 0:26:34.716