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Read this: This section is no longer available on johnlegend.com. Here are some of the most interesting questions from fans and John's responses.

Question: When you do your headlining dates this summer what angle are you going for in your shows? How are these upcoming shows going to differentiate from your shows you have been doing and will they be longer since it is your own show?
John: I'm excited to go on my first major headlining tour. Doing my own tour will give me the freedom to really perform in a way that'll make me more comfortable. I'll be able to do things that I simply couldn't do as an opening act. My set will be approximately 75 minutes every night, which, of course, is quite a bit longer than my show was when I opened for Alicia. We'll have more space to work with as well, so the staging will be a bit different. But, as always, the main focus will be on the music. We're committed to giving our fans an entertaining, energetic and uplifting show every night. We've been tightening up the band and making a few musical changes to the show, and I'm truly excited about taking the show on the road.

Question: Which song on the album has the most meaning to you and which is your favorite personally?
John: The song with the most meaning for me is "It Don't Have to Change," which features my family on vocals. I was so happy to be able to include them on the album. They're all very talented, and we love singing together. I'm proud of every song on the album, but my favorite songs are "Ordinary People" and "She Don't Have to Know." I think the songwriting on those two songs is particularly strong, and I especially love performing them as well.

Question: John, what is the latest cd that you bought?
John: The latest album I bought was Beck's new album, Guero. Beck is a very cool and adventurous artist. I like him a lot.


Question: I was just wondering, other than making beautiful music, what are some of your hobbies? What do you like to do to relax/hang out?
John: I like to read, which is what I do in most of my spare time on the road. When I'm home, I like to go out with my friends because I rarely get to see them these days. We go out to get some good food, then we hit the clubs.

Question: Who are your favorite authors?
John: Toni Morrison, James Joyce. I was an English major in college. I liked authors that were really challenging and difficult to decipher. It made for more interesting papers.

Question: In your video "Ordinary People" what does the fly symbolize?
John: The fly is the "fly on the wall" that observes people in their private moments.


Question: Can you name a few of your favorite things that you absolutely cannot function without?
John: My Treo phone which is my phone, my calendar, my e-mail device; I even play tetris on it. I couldn't function without it. My laptop is pretty important too.

Question: It seems evident that your music style is not one that can be categorized, how do you create music that all people can relate to and still maintain a sense of self when 99% of the music business is trying to fit into someone else's box?
John: I just try to trust myself and my own taste. I've listened to a lot of great music, and I try to measure myself against that standard rather than become too obsessed with what the people in the industry may say.

Question: I am completely in love with every song on this CD, but It Don't Have To Change is one of my favorites. With all your folks in the studio, how long did it actually take y'all to record it?
John: We recorded it in a few hours in a studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. My family is very talented, and it didn't take much rehearsal for them to nail the song. It was such a pleasure recording with them.

Question: What other artists in the music industry at the moment do you admire?
John:Outkast, the Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye, Common, Coldplay, Fiona Apple, Jay-Z.


Question: John, what was the first big and expensive thing that you bought once you became famous?
John: I just bought a 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. I haven't really spent a lot on anything else. I send money home to my family, and I do have a weakness for nice designer clothes (some of which I get for free, some of which I overpay for) :)

Question: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, and pick their brain to find out more their thought processes and/or how they do the great things they do, whom would it be?
John: Quincy Jones. I've read about him, and admired his impact on the music/entertainment business for a long time, and I'd love to talk with him.

Question: It has to be hard being on the road for so long without the comforts of home. What are some of your favorite foods or other things that remind you of home?
John: I love southern/soul food. Chicken, ribs, mac & cheese, collard greens, corn bread. Anytime I can find a great soul food restaurant (especially when we're touring down South), I'm a happy man.

Question: John, Are there any upcoming projects you'll be working on? I think I read somewhere that you'd be in a movie this summer, so what projects can the fans look forward to?
John: I'm working with GOOD Music family members Kanye West, Common & Consequence on their upcoming albums. I'll be featured on a song called "Change the World" from the new Black Eyed Peas album. I'm also working on writing a song for Aretha Franklin's next album. Other than that, I'm really just focused on touring and promoting "Get Lifted". That's definitely a full-time job (plus overtime!).

Question: If you were able to perform in an 1960-1980 musical group which one would it be and why? some examples: Delfonics, Temptations, Stylistics, Floaters etc...
John: I'd probably pick the Temptations. My family loves their music and we sing Temptations songs around the piano every Christmas. And they had some of the best songwriters in history writing for them (Smokey Robinson, Holland/Dozier/Holland).

Question: John , if you were the president of the United States what 3 things would you strive to change to improve our nation?
John: Education would be a major issue. Our schools are embarrassingly bad for a country with so much money. We don't spend enough to hire and reward good teachers. We have drastic inequity in funding for inner city schools. We are falling behind the rest of the industrialized world in most educational categories, particularly math & science. We can't expect to maintain our leadership in the world if we don't better educate our youth. It affects income inequality (that's why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer); it affects the economy (we can't innovate if we're not developing strong scientists). It affects nearly all aspects of our quality of life. I would make sure every person had access to health care. That should go without saying that everyone should be able to be cared for when they're sick, but unfortunately there are still millions of uninsured Americans. That's unacceptable. I would try to change the government's attitude toward drug enforcement. Too many lives are lost in an ineffective drug war. I think we should legalize and regulate drugs rather than making them illegal and forcing people to buy them through the black market. Our drug enforcement laws haven't been proven to reduce demand for drugs, but they certainly make our inner cities more dangerous and have resulted in the imprisonment of far too many African-American males.

Question: How did you come up with the title of your cd?
John: It's named after the song "Let's Get Lifted", which I wrote with Rick Shobin & Kanye West back in 2002. The album's generally a "feel-good" album and has several songs with references to being elevated (spiritually, sexually), so I thought the title was perfect.

Question: Who would you love to do a duet with?
John: Lauryn Hill - My favorite female artist. One of the best lyricists of our time. I'd love to work with her again. Beyonce - I love her voice and... Well, what's not to love about Beyonce?

Question: I noticed that you've done a lot of work "behind" the artist...so what is it like finally being able to have your own album out?
John: It's so exciting. This is what I've been working to do all along. I never thought of myself as a backup artist. I only did the backup work to pay the bills and pass the time until I got this opportunity. It's so fulfilling to be able to perform my own material around the world and to have the response that the album is getting.

Question: What do you enjoy most about performing overseas? Have you found a favorite restaurant or hangout spot?
John: It's really cool to see how music travels around the world before you even visit there. It took me by surprise to see how well the album was doing in countries I'd never visited (Norway & Sweden, for example). And the culmination is to actually finally visit these countries, which I'll be doing this week. I've also loved performing and hanging out in London, which I've done several times over the last year (with Kanye and as a solo artist).

Question: Where do you get the ideas to write lyrics for your songs?
John: My songs start with the music first. I play a chord progression and melody on the piano or I hear a chord progression and melody in an instrumental beat from a producer I'm working with. Then I imagine vocal melodies and lyrics that fit that music. Once I get the basic idea and overall theme for the song, I try to come up with the right story and situation to fill out the lyrics. I base these ideas on my personal experience and the stories I've talked about with my friends. I always let the music dictate the flow and the feel of the lyrics.

Question: Who inspired you to get into music, and what would you be doing if this wasn't your career?
John: I grew up around so many musicians in my family and my church, and I've always loved singing and playing piano ever since I was a toddler. I guess it was always meant to be. I couldn't imagine my life without music. Even if I always had a regular day job, I'd still be a musician at heart. If I didn't have a career in music, I'm not sure what I would do. I'm interested in business and public policy, so maybe I'd run my own business or non-profit organization.