Haute Event: An Interview with John Legend at the Dom Pérignon Power of Creation Celebration

On Wednesday, November 14th, Grammy-winning recording artist John Legend and critically acclaimed artist Lang Lang came together for a one-night collaboration to celebrate the Power of Creation with Dom Pérignon, at the historic St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. Moët Hennessy USA CEO Jim Clerkin and Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy were joined by Kelly Rutherford, Maxwell,  Glenn Fuhrman & Amanda Steck, Nick Cohen, Anne Pasternak, Aaron Young, K’Naan, Misha & Alexander Gilkes, Christian Siriano, Lex Fenwick, Honorable Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Sean MacPherson & Rachelle Hruska, Stefano Tonchi, Richard Pandiscio, Robert Souza, Princess Khaliya Aga Khan, Marjorie Gubelmann, Genevieve Jones, Jennifer Missoni, Francesco Maccapani Missoni, Olivia Sandelman, Elizabeth von Guttman and many more.

Lang Lang and John Legend joined together to perform “Dancing in the Dark,” Chopin’s “Here Comes the Sun,” and Legend’s hits “All of Me,” and “Ordinary People.” After the concert VIP concert attendees were treated to a breathtakingly gorgeous sit-down dinner in front of the historic chancel which features mosaic scenes by celebrated American artist Hildredth Meiere.

Before the event kicked off I got a chance to interview John Legend. We chatted about working with Kanye West again, his new album and what he’s thankful for this holiday season.

With thanksgiving right around the corner, what’s your favorite way to spend the holidays?

We love to eat and cook and spend time with family, lots of turkey and football.

What’s your favorite dish to make or eat on Thanksgiving?

I love to make macaroni & cheese.  That’s a family favorite.  I love to eat turkey & stuffing with lots of gravy though.  That’s so good on Thanksgiving Day and for a few more days of micro waved leftovers.

What are you thankful for this year?

I’m just happy to have such wonderful friends and family around me and I get to do what I love to do for a living.  Life can’t get much better than that.

Your last studio album was Evolver in 2008 and now you are gearing up for your new album release in 2013. What can fans expect from this album? How has John Legend evolved as an artist? 

My mission, as always, is to make beautiful, soulful music.  That hasn’t changed.  I think each time you create a new album, you explore new sounds and new influences, but, at the core, I’m the same artist.

What is your opinion of the domination of EDM (electronic dance music) over the music industry right now?

I think EDM can be a lot of fun sometimes.  It’s not my favorite style of music, but I like some of it quite a bit and any style of music can be done with artistry and beauty.  It all depends on the artist and their execution.  Though I will admit, I won’t be mad if the EDM is less dominant on the radio in the next few years.  I think there’s been a bit of overkill and everything’s been sounding too homogenized and over-computerized lately.  I think there will be a bit of an artistic reaction to that (It’s already starting) to bring back some more organic moments to music.

Your new album features production from the same team as your debut album. Why did you decide to use the same production team instead of moving in a different direction with new producers?

I’m excited to be working with Kanye again.  He remains one of the most important producers of our time and he always has fresh ideas and pushes me to be great.  Dave Tozer is another producer that has been working with me for a long time, and I think we make a great team and we’re doing our best work yet.

How else do you like to express yourself as an artist?

I’m a writer and a storyteller in addition to being a musician.  Lately, I’ve been getting involved in TV & film production because I love great stories and I want to get more of them out to the people.