PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man AliveisJohn Legend, a guy proving it’s good to be sexy … and sexy to be good.
These days the 40-year-old music superstar is having fun celebrating his latest distinction of EGOTSMA, a new acronym representing the fact thathe’s won an EGOT(Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony award) and now Sexiest Man Alive.
But theVoicecoach, who just released the new deluxe edition of his holiday albumA Legendary Christmas, admits he wasn’t always the confident, swoon-worthy guy fans have come to know love.
“Oh yes, I had an awkward phase,” says Legend of his early years. “I was two years younger than my classmates, so I get to high school, everyone else is around 14 and I’m 12. And I get to college, everyone else is around 18 and I’m 16,” recalls the star.
John Legend as a freshman in high school.Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library
Though the Ivy-league educated musician had brains beyond his years, he says “I was always like less mature, less at ease socially. I had plenty of awkward times.”
A savant who picked up playing piano at age 3, Legend says he tried using his skills to win over the ladies at an early age. “I tried, I’d say around 12 or so to start writing songs for girls I liked. It wasn’t extremely effective at age 12 but I got better at it,” he says, adding, “I eventually wrote ‘All of Me’. It’s got about two billion views now.”
John Legend playing the piano as a child.Courtesy Patricia Tyree
John Legend.Doug Inglish
As for what he thinks is his sexiest quality, “I mean, I’m a pretty good singer. That helps,” he says with a smirk. “Least sexy? I love to do crossword puzzles. I’m a nerd in a lot of ways.”
And while he has little insecurities like everyone else (“I don’t like my legs that much truthfully, so it’s a good thing we didn’t have shorts in the shoot!”) Legend, who’s dad toLuna, 3½, andMiles, 18 months, says he couldn’t be more at ease with himself now.
“I think you grow into being comfortable in your own skin,” he says. “Most of your teenage years, into your 20s, you’re still figuring out who you are, how you present yourself to the world…eventually I think you get more at ease with yourself. I know who I am. Maturity helps with that.”
For more on the Sexiest Man Alive – and all the hottest guys in Hollywood –click hereand pick up this week’s issue, on stands Friday, Nov. 15!
source: people.com
