When you hear that John Legend was playing the piano from the age of four, you can gather the extent of his musical gift. The second of four children, Legend was raised in the small Midwestern town of Springfield, Ohio, where he was surrounded by music. His father was a drummer at their local Pentecostal church where his mother, Phyllis, was the choir director and his grandmother the organist. “I do not think I would be where I am today without my mother's and my grandmother's musical influence,” he tells Glass Man in the 51st issue. Music is Legend’s way of communicating, his way of connecting to people. And with two Emmys, 12 Grammys, one Oscar and one Tony award under his belt, it seems he is very good at it. “I've won every award that I could possibly imagine winning so I don't need that anymore. I'm just focused on trying to create the best art.” With his first double album, LEGEND, released last month, Legend hopes to cement who he is and what he is musically, and by self titling it, he now believes he has truly lived up the prestige that is held within his name. Only a legend performs at three presidential inaugurations as he did for Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, and Joe Biden in 2021. Using his voice as a force for good, Legend launched the Show Me campaign in 2007, which works to end the school-to-prison pipeline”, and in 2015, built on this further with the Free America campaign, which aims to reduce mass incarceration. Last year, he created HUMANLEVEL, “a new initiative to uplift communities disproportionately impacted by institutionalised racism.” Legend’s pertinent influence lies in the fact he has made it the core mission of his life to give to others. And though he may have a voice that can make a nation cry from its beauty, for Legend it is our collective voice that truly matters. The autumn issue of Glass hits shelves this Friday. Photographer: @kat_in_nyc Stylist: @yaelquint Grooming: #PamFarmer Photography Assistant: @zackhughes Styling Assistants: @askchrisdepathy and #ShannonHoman Talent: @johnlegend Top & trousers: @zegnaofficial Blazer: @alexandermcqueen Special thanks to @thepeninsulabh