Singer and philanthropist John Legend is moving into the beauty space with an upcoming skincare line.
Legend has formed a new partnership with Los Angeles-based holding company A-Frame Brands. This is the same company that collaborates with tennis phenom Naomi Osaka and her skincare brand, KINLÒ.
A-Frame was founded in 2019 by actor and activist Hill Harper and industry executive and entrepreneur Ari Bloom. The company is presently developing a new babycare line, Proudly, with actress Gabrielle Union
and husband, former Miami Heat basketball player Dwyane Wade.In an exclusive interview with Fortune, Legend discussed
his venture into the beauty industry.“Of course, I’m in the public eye, and so there’s a bit more of a premium placed on making sure we take care of ourselves and present ourselves well to the public,” he tells Fortune
, on a late-night, post-performance Zoom call from Hanoi, Vietnam. “But everybody has skin, and everybody cares about their skin, and everybody cares about presenting themselves well in every situation, whether it’s, you know, family, community, or wherever they are.” He pauses for a moment. “It’s such an important part of who they are, and how they present themselves to the world, and how they feel.”Legend also gives back to the community through his other two companies, Free America, which addresses the issues faced within America’s criminal justice system, and HumanLevel, which tackles the effects of systemic racism.
He was asked how he could express his artistic expressions while dedicating himself to helping the community.
“I always think back to when I was 15-years-old. I wrote an essay — it was actually for McDonald’s Black History Month essay competition,” he said. The prompt was simple: How do you plan to make Black history? “And I said that I was going to become a successful artist, successful singer/songwriter and use that success to try to make my community better and give back as soon as I possibly could. And so, I’m literally living my dream of doing that.”