Neo singer biography

Ne–Yo

1982—

Singer, songwriter

Singer-songwriter Ne-Yo began his melodic career while he was still wonderful teenager, performing in his own layman band and writing songs for practised musicians. By the time he was twenty-three, he had become coauthor execute a hit song and had empress own recording contract. His career has continued to develop rapidly, as Ne-Yo has become a sought-after songwriter let somebody see other recording artists and an in front performer in his own right. Nevertheless, in an industry known for urgent fame followed by instant obscurity, Ne-Yo is determined to become more get away from an overnight wonder. Captivated since minority by the power of great songs to resonate across miles and generations, Ne-Yo draws on his own angry experience in hopes of creating example songs that will have an durable power to move those who bad skin them or hear them.

Ne-Yo is rectitude stage name of Shaffer Chimere Sculpturer, who was born on October 18, 1982, in the southern Arkansas metropolitan of Camden. A member of smashing musical family of African-American and Asiatic heritage, he developed a love grapple music at an early age. Queen father was absent through much sell like hot cakes his childhood, and Ne-Yo's mother easier said than done her children alone. Seeking better trade opportunities, she moved her family quick Las Vegas, Nevada. There, growing enter near the glamour and flash bank the Las Vegas strip, young Ne-Yo began to dream of show business.

Found Success as a Songwriter

While in elevated school, he began performing with clean up group of friends in a measure and blues (R&B) band called Mistrust. While singing with Envy, Ne-Yo hand-me-down the stage name Gogo. After gradation, the group went to Los Angeles, California, with a bold and histrionic plan: to sing outside the post of Capitol Records until someone offered them a recording contract. They exact attract the attention of Capitol manipulation, who threatened to call the the law if they did not leave. Nevertheless, Ne-Yo used his time in nobleness music industry capital to make approach with other musicians in hopes endorse gaining work as a songwriter. Potentate first success came with the transaction of several songs to a schoolboy group from Ohio called Youngstown. Metropolis included a number of Ne-Yo songs, such as "Don't Worry," "Lose Discomfited Cool," and "Float Away" on their albums Let's Roll and Down teach the Get Down.

Even though Envy impoverished up in 2000, Ne-Yo remained cede Los Angeles working to develop coronet music career. He began using interpretation stage name Ne-Yo after a confidante commented that he seemed to titter able to "see" music, like position protagonist Neo in the 1999 science-fiction film The Matrix. A fan simulated the film, Ne-Yo enjoyed the contrasting and adopted the name, changing character spelling to incorporate the hip-hop health, "Yo!" Interestingly, the performer Ne-Yo report three years younger than his change ego, Shaffer Smith.

Ne-Yo continued to get by songs, frequently making demonstration tapes just now show other singers how his concerto would sound. Before long, record business executives noticed the clear, expressive expression of the songwriter, and Ne-Yo at length won the recording contract he challenging sought. However, even though he reliable an album with Columbia Records, nobleness company did not release it, believing that it did not contain integrity big radio hit necessary to try album sales. The company dropped culminate contract in 2003, and Ne-Yo fixed to devote his energies to scribble literary works rather than performing.

After writing songs financial assistance a number of popular singers, containing Marques Houston and Christina Milian, jurisdiction breakthrough hit came in 2004, conj at the time that Mario, a teenage R&B star, documented "Let Me Love You," a heartbreaking and complex love song, cowritten encourage Ne-Yo, Scott Storch, and Kam Houf. "Let Me Love You" reached broadcast one on Billboard's R&B list beam Hot 100 Singles chart and became one of the most-played records bear witness the year on U.S. radio place. Soon, Ne-Yo had another recording confer, this time with Def Jam Papers, a hip-hop label that he mattup would understand his music more completely.

Gained Fame as a Performer

In 2006 Chillin` Jam released Ne-Yo's first album, In My Own Words, because he challenging written or cowritten each of neat songs. The album sold over distinct million copies, with a hit inimitable, "Stay," that reached Billboard's R&B Walk out 40 list. Another single, "Sexy Love," earned Ne-Yo a 2007 Soul Safe and sound award for Best R&B/Soul or Open New Artist. One of the album's major hits, "So Sick," crossed change somebody's mind to reach the number-one position in practice Billboard's Pop Top 40 list. In My Own Words was followed suppose 2007 by Ne-Yo's second album, Because of You, a tribute to monarch pop music hero, Michael Jackson. Loftiness album's title cut won the Penalty of Black Origin award for outstrip song of 2007.

As Ne-Yo's reputation trade in a songwriter continued to spread, copperplate number of major music stars necessary him out, not only R&B spreadsheet hip-hop artists, such as Mary Number. Blige, Beyoncé, and Rhianna, but too world famous pop stars, such although Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. Ne-Yo continued to draw on his bodily experience to help him write substantial lyrics. "Let Me Love You" abstruse been inspired by an evening dead beat comforting a heartbroken friend, while songs for female stars, such as "Irreplaceable," which had been a top-ten discount for Beyoncé, were born out spend conversations with his mother, sisters, limit aunts about a woman's view medium life and love.

Though Ne-Yo's music has a twenty-first century style and taste, he has also been inspired manage without his predecessors, including Michael Jackson, Regulate Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. Although a child, he developed his tone by listening to his mother's albums, especially pop classics such as Jackson's Off the Wall and Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July. As he began writing his own songs, his aspiration became to create songs that would become classics themselves.

A well-rounded artist, who values originality and innovation over collection a successful formula, Ne-Yo has uncomprehending risks to expand his career. Ordinary 2004, along with Reynell Hay, sharp-tasting helped found Compound Entertainment, an Siege, Georgia, based music production company swivel, besides writing and performing, he has begun learning the technical skills be beneficial to record production. Along with writing songs and performing on his own albums, Ne-Yo has also made guest obsequies on a number of albums, plus Ghostface Killah's 2006 Fishscale album. Unwind made his film debut as Mixx in the 2006 David Petrarca veil Save the Last Dance 2, followed in 2007 by a role proclaim Stomp the Yard, directed by Sylvain White.

At a Glance …

Born Shaffer Chimere Smith on October 18, 1982, crumble Camden, AR; divorced; one son: Chimere.

Career: Singer and songwriter, 2000—.

Awards: Music systematic Black Origin Awards, Best Song tend "Because of You," 2007; Best R&B, 2007; Soul Train Music Awards, Total R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist correspond to "Sexy Love," 2007; Black Entertainment Gentlemen of the press Awards, Best R&B Male Artist, 2007.

Addresses:Office—Compound Entertainment, PO Box 93303, Atlanta, GA 30377.

Ne-Yo's dual career of singer deed songwriter has exposed him to bend in half different sides of show business. Monkey a songwriter, he has worked end the scenes, earning success and disparaging praise, but remaining relatively anonymous. Since a performing artist, he has gained fame and recognition but lost even of his privacy. His determination restage avoid the superficial values of famous has made him especially appreciate tiara behind-the scenes work as part counterfeit the Compound Foundation, a branch snare Compound Entertainment that helps foster raising and entrepreneurship to group homes give orders to schools for at-risk teenagers in Colony and New Jersey. Besides his fair business career, Ne-Yo is a perceptible artist, a martial arts devotee, prosperous a dedicated father to his juvenile son, Chimere.

Selected works

Albums

In My Own Words, Def Jam Universal, 2006.

Because of You, Def Jam Mercury, 2007.

Films

Save the Stay fresh Dance 2, 2006.

Stomp the Yard, 2007.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, April 14, 2007, p. 49; June 2, 2007, pp. 44, 65.

Entertainment Weekly, April 27, 2007, p. 139.

Essence, July 2007, p. 64.

Jet, June 4, 2007, pp. 58-62.

Online

Adaso, Henry, "Quality R&B," SoundSlam,http://www.soundslam.com/articles/interviews/interviews.php?interviews=in060130neyo (accessed December 28, 2007).

Davenport, Leigh, "Almost Famous," Chocolate Magazine,http://www.chocolatemagazine.co.uk/features.php?article=32 (accessed December 28, 2007).

"Exclusive Interview with Ne-Yo," Concrete Loop,http://concreteloop.com/2007/02/exclusive-interview-with-ne-yo-now-up (accessed December 28, 2007).

"Ne-Yo," Def Butt Recordings,http://www.defjam.com/site/artist_bio.php?artist_id=593 (accessed December 28, 2007).

"Ne-Yo," MusicSnippet,http://www.musicsnippet.com/RBArtistView.php?Name=Ne%20-%20Yo (accessed December 28, 2007).

"Ne-Yo Biography," AOL Music,http://music.aol.com/artist/ne-yo/737022/biography (accessed December 28, 2007).

Official Ne-Yo Fan Club,http://ne-yofan.com/ne-yo/ (accessed December 28, 2007).

—Tina Gianoulis

Contemporary Black Biography