How many John Legend fans can say they performed his songs to the man himself? Boston busker Radha Rao was playing at Faneuil Hall Marketplace when Legend and his family walked by. The big name R&B singer stopped in his tracks to enjoy Rao’s performance of his number one hit “All of Me”, shocking the busker and fans at the market.
Rao played “All of Me” solo with just her voice and piano, which is very fitting for the original song, which is already quite minimalist. Legend had a big smile on his face during the song, clearly enjoying the moment with his family. Rao then asked the crowd to give it up for Legend and the star walked over to give Rao a tip and a hug, getting a cheer from the crowd. The clip was a hit with Legend fans online and has been viewed 3.2 million times, as you can see below.
Fans at home really appreciated Legend making time for up and coming musicians, adding comments like “John Legend knows what it’s like as a struggling musician and he’s paying it forward in a big way whenever he gets a chance. He’s one of those genuinely nice guys.” and “Wow, she played a beautiful version of your song John Legend, and as always you’re the perfect gentleman. Thanks for the music!”
Rao posted about the special moment on her Instagram @radhamusic_, saying “street performing has given me some of the most spontaneous life experiences – grateful to have gotten the opportunity to sing for the incredible John Legend and his family today.” You can check out John Legend’s original recording of “All of Me” below, which at 2.3 billion views, is one of the most popular songs on YouTube.
“All of Me” is by far John Legend’s biggest hit. The song is from his fourth album Love in the Future and was inspired by his wife Chrissy Teigen. It is Legend’s first and only Billboard Hot 100 number one hit and became the second highest selling song of 2014 in the US. If you would like to see more from John Legend, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram.