John Legend recently discussed how he came about his stage name in the first episode of Amazon Studios' new series Words + Music. According to the musician, whose real name is John Roger Stephens, the popular ‘John Legend’ name came about after a spoken-word artist from Chicago, J. Ivy, praised his collaboration with then-up-and-coming Kanye West, stating that he would soon be known as a legend.“Now J. heard me singing, playing and doing all I was doing on those College Dropout tracks, and he was impressed. He said, 'Man, we're gonna have to call you the legend.”John liked the sound of it and decided to go with it after Kanye and several others started calling him by that moniker.“So I had to decide whether or not I was going to assume this stage name. Now part of me is saying, 'How you going to call yourself Legend? You don't even have a record deal yet.” View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAgreeing to use the name was the easy part. John Legend shared that his lawyer told him it could be problematic to trademark the name since someone else was already using the name Johnny Legend.“And lo and behold,” the All of Me hitmaker said, “there's a p*rn producer—I kid you not—a p*rn producer who dabbled in rockabilly music, and he went by the name Johnny Legend. The fact that he made music, rockabilly music, and his name was Johnny Legend, meant that there was a possible trademark infringement case.”John and his lawyer met with Johnny and reached an agreement.“We had to find Johnny Legend, negotiate with him, cut a mutually exclusive deal stating that he was Johnny Legend, and I was John Legend. He wouldn't sue me. I wouldn't sue him. He wouldn't try to get into the soul music business pretending to be John Legend.”He joked:“And I'm happy to make clear that I kept my side of the agreement. I didn't produce any p*rn, didn't make any rockabilly music pretending to be Johnny Legend.”More details on John Legend’s appearance on Amazon Studios Words + MusicJohn Legend featured on the first episode of the Amazon Studios Series Words + Music. In the episode, which premiered on Sunday, November 30, 2025, the singer and songwriter discussed his childhood, his marriage, and his creative process of making music, of course, while performing some of his hit songs. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe series description read:“Renowned singer-songwriters share the lives they’ve lived and the music that defines them in Words + Music, from Audible’s acclaimed podcast series. An immersive digital wall amplifies their stories with film clips, photographs, lyrics, and artwork.”It continued:“The debut lineup features John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, and Elvis Costello in a groundbreaking fusion of memoir, theater, and concert. Each performance is unique: Legend strips it down to a powerful solo set, while Costello expands his storytelling with guest musicians and longtime collaborators, the Imposters. Crow and Morissette each bring their own distinctive voices and visuals to the format, ensuring no two experiences are alike.”Also read: Who is Ryan Cabrera’s wife? All we know about Alexa Bliss as Ashlee Simpson’s ex reacts to singer’s return to music