John Stephens (born December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio), better known a… Read Full Bio ↴John Stephens (born December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio), better known as John Legend, is a Grammy award winning R&B singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and actor signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. Prior to the release of his debut album Get Lifted in 2004, Legend's career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists such as Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. He released his second album, Once Again in 2006, and his latest release, 2008's Evolver showcased a more experimental and upbeat side of Legend. He is the recipient of six Grammy Awards, and in 2007 he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. You can get Cheap John Legend Tickets for his next performances.

Legend also played the piano on Lauryn Hill's 1998 song "Everything is Everything" and sang background vocals on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name". Legend frequently cites gospel, R&B, and hip hop music as his main musical influences.

Legend released his critically acclaimed and Billboard Top Ten second album, Once Again, in October 2006. Produced by Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West and will.i.am, it is again a mixture of gospel and classic soul showcasing his extraordinary voice, particularly on "Show Me".

Grammy Award Wins:
*2005 Best New Artist
*2005 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Ordinary People"
*2005 Best R&B Album- Get Lifted
*2007 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Heaven
*2007 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Family Affair

Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo. Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to attend college in Philadelphia, and it was there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his teens, Legend was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" in 1998. After completing college, he moved to New York, where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and releasing CDs that he would sell at shows. He also became an in-demand session musician, playing and occasionally writing for a wide array of artists, including Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson, and Kanye West. It wasn't until West signed the young talent to his new label that he adopted the Legend name with 2004's Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory. Get Lifted, his first studio album, was released later in the year. On the strength of enduring single "Ordinary People," the album reached the Top Five of the Billboard 200. This led to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Once Again, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, followed in October 2006. Live from Philadelphia, sold exclusively at Target stores, was a successful stopgap release that predated October 2008's Evolver.

Karma
John Legend Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the universe connects us
I know this is karma

Stare at the sky, can't get out my bed
There's shadow's circling my head
Where's love, your love
In another life id I play this game
Leaving me alone with an empty frame

I fear the worst in me
But you know the best in me
'Cause you see, when I'm honest with honesty
I will stumble trough the darkness
'Til we see the morning

Is this karma, can you hear me
My heart is singin'
Everything inside I wanna say
I think about you every single day
Is this karma, come and dance
Like we did before I
Lost you, this is karma
My heart is singing
Everything inside I wanna say
Every step I'm taking day by day
When the universe connects us
I know this is karma

Oh
I can't get the image of you out of my mind
The edges of your body pushing up against mine
Breathing, breathing
There is a silence in my beating heart
A cause and effect that we can't discard
Is all of love a ploy, an energy decoy
'Cause you see, if I'm honest with honesty (uoh, oh)
That means crashing trough the mirror
Just to know what love is

Is this karma, can you hear me
My heart is singin'
Everything inside I wanna say
I think about you every single day
Is this karma, come and dance
Like we did before I
Lost you, this is karma
My heart is singing
Everything inside I wanna say
Every step I'm taking day by day
When the universe connects us
I know this is karma

Love is karma, come and dance

Like we did before I
Lost you

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics of John Legend's song "Karma," the singer reflects on the mysterious workings of fate and the connections that bind us to each other in the universe. The repetition of the phrase "When the universe connects us, I know this is karma" suggests a deep belief in the idea that everything happens for a reason and that there is a larger cosmic force at play in our lives. The singer's introspective and emotional journey is depicted through his struggles to overcome the shadows of doubt and loneliness that plague his mind.

As he gazes up at the sky, unable to get out of bed, he grapples with feelings of isolation and longing for love. The emptiness he feels is contrasted with the warmth and understanding he finds in the other person, who sees the best in him even when he fears the worst. This theme of duality - light and darkness, honesty and deceit, love and fear - runs throughout the lyrics, highlighting the complexities of human relationships and emotions.

The singer's yearning for connection and understanding is further emphasized by his persistent thoughts of the other person, whom he thinks about every single day. The idea of karma is presented as a dance of fate, a cycle of actions and consequences that bring two souls together in a dance of love and loss. The lyrics suggest a deep sense of regret and longing for the past, as well as a hopeful belief in the power of love to transcend time and space.

In the final chorus, the singer proclaims that love itself is karma, urging the other person to come and dance with him once again. The song's emotional crescendo captures the bittersweet beauty of human connection and the timeless power of love to bring us back to each other, even in the face of loss and separation. Ultimately, "Karma" is a poignant meditation on the interconnectedness of all things and the eternal search for love and meaning in the vast expanse of the universe.

Line by Line Meaning

When the universe connects us
When fate brings us together

I know this is karma
I believe this is fate

Stare at the sky, can't get out my bed
Feeling overwhelmed, unable to function

There's shadow's circling my head
Negative thoughts consuming me

Where's love, your love
Longing for your love

In another life id I play this game
Perhaps in a past life, I experienced this

Leaving me alone with an empty frame
Feeling abandoned and incomplete

I fear the worst in me
Afraid of my own flaws

But you know the best in me
You see the goodness in me

When the universe connects us
When fate brings us together

I know this is karma
I believe this is fate