I remember 2013, where I thought almost everyone I knew suddenly became a pianist. From my sister to my classmates in second grade, they all played the same song. I’m referring to the intro of “All of Me” from John Legend.

I thought it was sweet that such a beautiful song was actually dedicated to his fiancee, who then became his wife. That song is the reason I know his name, but after listening to some of his other songs, this might be another R&B artist I overlooked.

He’s performing in Vancouver on December 3 at Rogers Arena. It’s his 20th Anniversary World Tour for his 2004 album “Get Lifted”. I remember discovering his album in a playlist of shared MP3s. For a baritone, his vocal range is wider than mine, and many confuse him for a tenor.

His primary sound involves the piano and his baritone voice with a warm and smooth timbre. Especially in his “Get Lifted” album, the song, “Ordinary People”, got people to stop and listen to it on the radio because the vocals and piano stood out from all the drums and high energy.

Christopher Polk/NBC

That debut album started through John Legend’s college roommate, Devo Harris, who was Kanye West’s cousin. In 2001, John and Kanye met at a time when they were just aspiring artists. Legend was turned down by labels everywhere, while Kanye produced a third of Jay-Z’s album, “The Blueprint”. Kanye made a bit of a name for himself as a producer, but hasn’t made his own music yet.

John and Kanye wrote songs together, and John even sang and played the piano for some of the songs in Kanye’s project, “The College Dropout”. In that time, the two wrote songs like “Let’s Get Lifted”, “Alright”, and “Used to Love U”, which eventually made it into his first album in 2004. Their careers were intertwined, helping each other rise to fame.

I didn’t realize that his real name was John Stephens. “John Legend” became his stage name because the poet, J. heard his music style, and John’s music reminded Ivy of old-school soul artists. He didn’t even intend to make a stage name for himself. His circle of friends in the studio gave him the nickname, but because it was bold, when people hear the name “Legend”, he’d better deliver.

He says that maybe he’ll live up to the name when his career is over, but he’s deserved that name since he got it.