Multiple Grammy Nominations Put Exclamation Point On Incredible Year For John Legend

NEW YORK, NY. (Sony Urban Music/Columbia Records) - John Legend's first solo album, "Get Lifted" (on Getting Out Our Dreams Music/Sony Urban Music/Columbia Records), dropped three days after Christmas 2004 and struck the resonant opening chord for a year that's just reached a dizzying crescendo with 8 Grammy nominations.

"I never dreamed I'd have so many Grammy nominations," said John Legend. "It's overwhelming in the best possible way. The Song Of The Year nomination comes as a real honor. 'Ordinary People' is a special song - because it comes from a real place and connects with people in a real way - and it means a lot to me."

The scope of John's nominations - Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - illustrate the breathtaking range of this emerging superstar.

2005's been a year of highlights for John Legend, among them the realization of a long-standing dream when he recorded a duet remix of his song, "So High," with hip-hop superstar Lauryn Hill. The Cloud 9 remix of "So High" marked Ms. Hill's first recorded appearance since 2002's MTV Unplugged 2.0 and earned John Legend a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

Get Lifted debuted at No 7 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and No 1 on the R&B Album sales chart has since gone on to achieve RIAA gold and platinum status. Legend hit the road twice in 2005, first as the heralded opening act for Alicia Keys and then as the star of his very first headline tour. He's off to tour South Africa in the new year and is working on the successor to "Get Lifted."