John Legend: 'I just want to be a good dad'

By CHELSEA HUANG

As a whirlwind year winds down for John Legend, with an Academy Award win, a hand in several hit songs and more, the star's next big ambition is closer to home.

"I just want to be a good dad," he said in an exclusive interview with AOL.

The singer, whose wife Chrissy Teigen recently announced her pregnancy, said he doesn't really do resolutions for the New Year, but rather looks at what he wants to accomplish in life "in cycles."

"I just look at goals more based on not the arbitrary turn from December 31st to January 1st, but more like in cycles. You know, I'm working on an album, so I want the album to be amazing. We're having a kid, and I want to be a great dad. So these are things I'm thinking about now," he said.

And those two things are quickly becoming intertwined. The Academy Award-winning songwriter revealed that his impending fatherhood is already giving him musical inspiration.

See photos of the happy couple:

"I've already been a bit inspired by us being pregnant and the idea of being a first-time father, so I definitely started some ideas based on that, but it will be hard to know until we see the baby. But I'm already anticipating how I'll feel, and I've been writing a little bit."

We may have to wait some time before we can hear some of that new music, but in the meantime, Legend has stayed busy focusing on his wife. Teigen recently posted a photo on Instagram of her hubby taking the reigns in the kitchen when she was feeling under the weather.

"I just do whatever she needs me to do. If I'm home, I'm just trying to be as helpful as I can. I know she's physically going through a lot that the man will never go through, so I try to help whenever I can."

Even though the couple is going through a pregnancy for the first time, Legend said they're prepared for what comes their way.

"A lot of our friends have been pregnant lately -- and I feel like five of Chrissy's friends are pregnant right now -- so a lot of my male friends who have been the husbands have kind of mentally prepped me for some of the things that would happen -- and theres nothing crazy about it. People have been doing this for millions of years, so I think we can handle it."

Rumors have been swirling about the couple's pregnancy for years, even before they actually conceived -- and now reports have emerged about the baby's gender -- but while the scrutiny could feel invasive for many couples, Legend said he and his wife take it all in stride, saying they're "fine with it."

It's clear why fans are so invested in the couple -- in addition to Legend's high-profile wedding song "All of Me," and their respective careers, the pair is known for their incredible dynamic-yet-equal partnership, which marks a modern departure from couples of yesteryear. And that idea isn't lost on the singer, who considers himself a feminist.

"I married someone who has a mind of her own, who isn't afraid to speak her mind, and who I really respect. I didn't marry her just because she's good looking. I married her because she's an awesome person all around. She's clever. She's funny. She has a great heart -- and she's very smart. I want all the things that come with that. Those are the things I value in her, and so I'm excited to be with someone who's strong and has her own mind," he said.

Those who follow the couple on social media won't be surprised by their affection for each other -- a video recently surfaced of Teigen's incredible 30th birthday bash that Legend planned, with a special "Happy Birthday" serenade, of course.

Legend is clearly an amazing gift-giver, and he recently partnered with Stella Artois for an awe-inspiring holiday gift for fans in NYC: A new song called "Under The Stars," featuring the actual sounds that stars make, which he performed for the first time under a spectacular light installation mimicking a gorgeous celestial view.

The song, inspired by the raw emotional connections family and friends yearn for during the holidays, pays homage to the Stella Artois name for its holiday "Give Beautifully" campaign.

"In the song, I talk about what the holidays mean to me, which are being around the people you love, being giving and loving with the people you care about -- and also about humanity being all together under the stars no matter where we are, no matter what we look like, where we're from," he said.

Listen to the beautiful holiday song: