We’ve announced it, and now the countdown has begun: John Legend will ignite the Global Citizen stage at this year’s Move Afrika events. Are you ready?
On Feb. 21 and 25, we’re honored to have the EGOT-winning artist (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) grace the iconic BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, and The Palms in Lagos, Nigeria as he joins Global Citizen on the mission to advocate for investments in Africa’s creative economy and the financial support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and public health across the continent.
“I’m honored and excited to perform in Kigali and Lagos as part of the Move Afrika tour — an initiative that not only brings unforgettable shows, but also creates entrepreneurship and job opportunities, empowering young people to engage with Africa’s growing music and creative industries,” said Legend. “Africa has always been a global cultural powerhouse, and it’s an honor to be part of the future of live music on the continent.”
The artist’s legendary work speaks for itself, but we’ll give you an insight into why we’re so honored to have him join us, yet again, on the Global Citizen stage. Legend has achieved remarkable success with a music career spanning nearly two decades, winning 12 Grammys and releasing 10 albums. In 2018, at 39, he became the first African-American man to achieve EGOT status — in fact, he’s the first person to earn all four awards in four consecutive years.
Legend has delivered a series of hit songs, including “Ordinary People,” “Love Me Now,” “You & I (Nobody in the World),” “Glory,” “Green Light,” and his 2013 breakthrough ballad, “All of Me,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2014 and became the best-selling song of 2014.
The 46-year-old singer-songwriter has collaborated with a wide variety of artists throughout his career and has contributed his writing and producing skills to songs by other notable musicians, from “American Boy,” which he co-wrote for Estelle, to “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” penned for Meghan Trainor to which he lent his vocals. His impressive roster includes performers who have also taken to the Global Citizen stage, such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, The Black Eyed Peas, Common, and Lauryn Hill.
In addition to his impressive music career, Legend is also a dedicated activist. Legend has consistently used his influence to address social justice issues such as criminal justice reform, voter registration participation, education, and racial equity. Together with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, a powerhouse in her own right, they have a strong record of supporting important causes. In 2018, the couple donated $288,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to advocate for immigration rights in response to the government administration’s decision to separate children from their parents at the US border.
Legend founded Free America to assist calls to reform the criminal justice system and end mass incarceration in the US through policy changes, education, storytelling, and initiatives. Seeking to enhance job opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, Free America partnered with New Profit and Bank of America in 2017 to launch Unlocked Futures. This accelerator program is designed to support social entrepreneurs directly impacted by the criminal justice system by providing them with grants, resources, mentorship, and strategic assistance to help grow their businesses.
“We started this as a collaboration, saying, ‘Let’s not just tell folks to hire formerly incarcerated individuals, but to invest in their ideas,’” Legend told Forbes of the initiative. “All of the members have business ideas that will help them feed their families, employ others, and strengthen our communities.”
In 2020, John Legend expanded Free America’s work by launching Human Level, an initiative to promote systemic change and enhance racial equity across American cities. This initiative focuses on connecting city leaders with local changemakers to break the cycle of structural racism and create a future where society is inclusive and beneficial for all.
For over a decade, Legend has actively supported Global Citizen’s mission to eliminate extreme poverty by performing at various events and supporting Global Citizen campaigns. This includes his performance at The End of Polio Concert in 2011, One World: Together At Home, a global broadcast event in 2020 that raised $127.9 million for COVID-19 relief, and hosting the Global Citizen Prize twice in 2019 and 2020. In 2023, Legend participated in Global Citizen NOW, where he stressed the importance of voting and encouraged young people to register to vote; later that same year, at the Global Citizen Festival, he vocally supported efforts calling for increased funding for education.
Join him this year as he lends his million-dollar voice to the call for ambitious investments in Africa’s creative economy and the support for SRHR funding across the African continent as part of the Move Afrika campaign. Take action with John Legend here, and you could earn tickets to see him live.
What is Move Afrika?
Move Afrika is a Global Citizen initiative to address global inequities affecting Africa by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities and improving health systems for the continent’s emerging generations through annual live music events. The first-of-its-kind music touring circuit will bring together some of the best African and international artists.
The inaugural event, Move Afrika: Rwanda, took place in December 2023 and was headlined by Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Kendrick Lamar and supported by notable performers from Zuchu, Sherrie Silver, and Bruce Melodie, to name a few.
In 2025, Global Citizen and its partners will urge African nations to increase health funding, prioritize primary care and sexual and reproductive health and rights, increase international investments in health resilience, and reduce financial burdens on public health.
Legend’s commitment to standing up to injustice and fighting to make the world a better place is one of the many reasons we were excited to welcome him back onto the Global Citizen stage. If you haven’t already, take action to earn your tickets — all the information on how to do that is here — and prepare for an unforgettable celebration of music, impact, and unity across the continent.