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Soul man: Ne-Yo has had four UK number ones, sold more than 30 million records, and has won three Grammy awards He began writing songs to come to terms with the split, and credits his mum with introducing him to the music – and sartorial style – of Frank Sinatra after she took a job as a bank manager in Las Vegas.Īnother vital source of inspiration was Michael Jackson, and Ne-Yo acknowledges that his sweet, high-pitched voice harks back to classic Jackson albums like Off The Wall. In August, Ne-Yo secured his fourth UK number one with the effervescent Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself), a single that gave Motown its first UK chart-topper in 20 years (the last was Boyz II Men’s End Of The Road).īorn in Arkansas, the singer was raised by his mother after his parents separated. The retro-flavoured Alone With You recalls The Beatles, and there is a duet, She Is, with Nashville star Tim McGraw. His fifth studio effort (the initials stand for Realising Every Dream), it augments soul-searching ballads and Euro-dance anthems with detours into pop and country. Renaissance man Ne-Yo’s decision to shun R&B's routine diet of bling and bravado has paid dividends, though, and he should enhance his burgeoning reputation with new album R.E.D., out now.
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I’m not going to set myself on fire and start running around the room.’ In America, too much music is dominated by hype and scandal, and I suffer in the States because that’s not me. I’m the guy you’ll find in the grocery store. If I write about sex, I try to be subtle about it. I’m respectful of women, and I don’t write songs that are sexually suggestive. ‘I have lots of young fans, so I’m responsible in my lyrics. ‘I was brought up to have good manners,’ he tells me. Stylish: Ne-Yo took his stage name from Keanu Reeve's character in The Matrix He would ask staff what they’d buy with their last dollar: the latest Motown single or a sandwich. ‘He told me about the l meetings the label used to hold in Detroit. ‘Meeting Berry blew my mind,’ says Ne-Yo, peering up at me from under the brim of his hat. And, after taking on his new executive role, he wasted no time in seeking advice from Berry Gordy, Jr., the Detroit music legend who launched Motown on an unsuspecting world in 1959. The job, once occupied by Smokey Robinson, will see him developing new talent for a label that revolutionised pop in the Sixties.Įven a hit-maker as accomplished as Ne-Yo is willing to learn, however. He has also written hits for Cheryl Cole, Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, while almost single-handedly reviving the art of the gentlemen's dress hat (today, he’s sporting a natty fedora, worn at a jaunty angle).Īnd, as if that isn’t enough, he is now on a mission to save Motown Records, having recently been appointed Senior Vice President in charge of A&R.
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The 30-year-old from Las Vegas, who did indeed take his stage name from Keanu Reeve’s character in Hollywood sci-fi movie The Matrix (he was born Shaffer Smith), has sold 30 million records and won three Grammy awards by performing his own super-smooth pop numbers. Ne-Yo is the reigning king of American R&B, a recent guest mentor on The X Factor and a singer whose music is probably nestling somewhere on your teenager’ s iPod. Who is Ne-Yo? If your answer is: the man from The Matrix, you’re only half right. The new king of R&B: Ne-Yo is the new senior vice president of A&R