John Legend
Rhythm and Blues ‘legend’ John Legend has been serenading us for many years now. But his efforts in charming his millions of listeners might not have gone down as well if he had stuck with his birth name, “John Roger Stephens”. It was upon being signed by the record label belonging to Kanye West that John was informed that his name sounded far too historical for modern R&B sensibilities. Like or not, John changed his name to something far more legendary.
John Legend
Bruno Mars
While there are many celebrities walking around today with new names that you could never guess were not their first, there is little doubt that Bruno Mars is an original. Rather, the pop sensation’s birth name was Peter Gene Hernandez. A perfectly normal name – which was what pushed Mars to opt for a more exotic title, maybe even from another world… He also did not want to be associated with Enrique Iglesias’ legacy, wishing to break out on his own.
Bruno Mars
