Grammy Preview: John Legend

Mariah Carey's and Kanye West's eight nominations were pretty predictable, but few would have anticipated that John Legend -- the breakthrough R&B artist of 2005, and a protege of West -- would be tied with both of them. Since he was little, Legend, 27, has been dreaming about his moment in the Grammy spotlight. "I definitely remember watching them very early on in childhood," says Legend, checking in with Rolling Stone from a tour stop in Johannesburg, South Africa. "I wanted to win one, and I wanted to perform -- even as a young kid." With his debut album, Get Lifted, his smash hit "Ordinary People" and his duet with Lauryn Hill on "So High" all nominated, Legend has set himself up to fulfill his oldest dream.

After you got your eight nominations, who did you phone first?

I called my mother and father. And Kanye, of course, to congratulate him.

Was your mom freaking out?

My mom was screamin', "Hallelujah!" [Laughs] She was very excited. Both of my parents are very proud -- they always have been. But this is just nice icing on the cake.

What is on your awards shelf so far?

I've been nominated for a bunch of things this year, but I haven't won a lot. I got the BET award for best new artist this year.

That's it?

Well, I won a lot of talent shows and stuff when I was in high school. And I was the citywide spelling-bee champion in third grade.

Nice! Will you arrive at the Grammys with a thank-you list in your pocket?

Yeah! Who knows if I'll win one of the televised awards -- a lot of the ones I'm nominated for will be before the TV show -- but I'm just gonna say thank you to a lot of people.

Who should have been nominated?

Most of the albums I bought this year got nominated for something. Kanye's album is my favorite. And I really like Fiona Apple's and Damian Marley's albums -- I wish I wrote that song "Welcome to Jamrock." I like the White Stripes. There's Esthero out of Toronto -- I really love her album. It would have been nice to see her get recognized.

Have you heard your music in a strip joint this year?

Yeah! It's funny, because sometimes promoters schedule afterparties, and around Norfolk, Virginia, one of them didn't tell me that the party was gonna be in a strip club. I don't care, I would've gone anyway, but it was just a surprise. They played the remix of "Ordinary People." I laughed -- y'know, people always play my music when I come to the club anyway, just to boost my ego -- but I never knew I made strippers music.

Who will you be rollin' with on the big night?

Me, Common and Kanye are gonna have a joint party that night. Hopefully something good will happen, and we'll just get drunk on champagne and celebrate in style.

Next: The Killers