R&B singer John Legend is about to jump into the business side of the music industry with the launch of his own label through Atlantic Records.
Titled HomeSchool, the imprint’s first artist will be British singer/rapper/songwriter/producer Estelle, a West London native who has drawn comparisons to Lauryn Hill, according to Billboard.com.
Estelle’s debut album, titled “Shine,” is due for release on Feb. 12 with Legend as its executive producer. Producers on the project include Wyclef Jean, will.i.am, Swizz Beatz and Mark Ronson as well as Legend, who also has a cameo in the “Wait” video.
The first single will be the track “Wait a Minute (Just a Touch),” while Kanye West makes a guest appearance on “American Boy.” Cee-Lo is also featured on one of the tracks.
Asked about other artists on the HomeSchool roster, Legend tells Billboard.com that no one else is signed yet and the label is non-exclusive. “This isn’t a blanket imprint. There will be some artists a label partner may like and some they don’t. I’m doing this one at a time.”
As for his own next album, Legend says he has three songs in the can (one of which features will.i.am) for an expected release date of summer 2008. In the meantime, he’s just returned from Zanzibar and Tanzania where he shot the video for his latest single, “Show Me.”
