John Legend is one cool dude. He's an amazing singer, his music is cool, and the way he carries himself is definitely cool.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was flying on a plane and sitting next to John Legend's manager with John sitting right behind them. Since John was performing in Seoul on March 28, they casually suggested a performance in Seoul the night before to raise money for charities-- John's Show Me Campaign to fight poverty in Africa, and various Korean orphanages.
Kevin Kim, my friend who was on the plane, calls me to tell me about this idea and also getting the US Ambassador (whom we met the year before) involved, to which I reply "That's a great idea." I say this because it would be impossible to try to set something up with only a few weeks planning, and he wouldn't dare ask me to help him on such a project. A few days later... we're in full planning mode (a direct violation of my Lunar New Year's resolution to start saying no to people).
We decide it would be A Night of Charity for Children with John Legend. Guests of honor would include the US Ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens, as well as Tasha (Yoon Mirae), the #1 R&B singer in Korea. And having a performance with both of them would be great. We wanted an intimate event with high ticket prices. So Kevin and I land in Seoul 4 days before the event date. Radio interviews, newspaper interviews, meetings at the Embassy, coordinating through email with John's team, coordinating with the venue (Bamboo House), and getting the grand piano and sound equipment had to be squeezed into the 3 days. Add to that the jet lag, Kevin and I were zombies in suits.
On March 28, everything fell according to plan. With the help of other Netkalers (Netkal is an org that I'm a part of - Network of Korean American Leaders) Esther Song, Sara Kim and Sonny Hong, the event went smoothly without a hitch. Ambassador Stephens was so accommodating and friendly. She met and took photos with every single person in the room. Her popularity is rising very quickly with the Korean people.
Prior to the event, I had a chance to sit down with John, Tasha, and Tiger JK (Drunken Tiger). I mentioned to John that Tasha had a rap for "Greenlight" (his current hit) ready. Well, since he was only doing the piano tonight, how about if she rapped for him right there to see if she would be right for his concert the next day. She raps, he says ok, and the plan is set for her to come onstage during the last half of "Greenlight."
I had the privilege of experiencing John perform live in front of a small group. The next day, I went to the concert. Not a flashy concert with a bunch of theatrics and pyrothechnics. It was a basic, music-filled, nonstop lineup of John's music-- an amazing performance. The Korean audience showed their appreciation on every song-- confirming the fact that there ARE big John Legend fans in Korea, with many of them singing along. Move to "Greenlight," and as soon as it's time for the rap part, Tasha walks onto the stage and is met with a deafening roar from the crowd. What a nice surprise it must've been for the audience!
So it was just a whirlwind five days in Korea-- really just a blur. I want to thank all the people along the way who put their trust in us and believed that this would all happen. Tasha and JK I've known for a very long time. JK and I grew up together. Good people, and they just celebrated their son Jordan's 1st birthday. And John Legend... softspoken, unbelievably talented, and a nice guy. I work with celebrities quite often, and occassionally, I have to deal with big egos, divas, primadonnas, and whatever other negative term you could think of. John isn't one of them.
By the way, the only reason I agreed to do this event is because we want to turn it into an annual event-- a night of Musical Diplomacy. Music builds bridges. I wonder who our next artist will be...
