Ne-Yo

Fun Fact: Ne-Yo, a songwriter first and singer second, penned the lyrics to Mario’s 2004 hit “Let Me Love You.”

Claim to Fame: In 2006 Ne-Yo released his first commercial hit (and second album) In My Own Words, which featured the hit single “So Sick.”

Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer?songwriter, record producer, actor, and occasional rapper. Since his debut, Ne-Yo has had five top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200. Ne-Yo has also amassed a catalog of chart-topping songs that he has written for other artists.

Ne-Yo broke into the recording industry as a songwriter, penning the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario. The single's successful release in the United States prompted an informal meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's label head, and signing a recording contract.

In 2006, he released his debut album, In My Own Words, which contained the US number one hit "So Sick". Then in 2007, he released his sophomore album, Because of You which contained the US top 3 hit, "Because of You". In 2008, he released his third album, Year of the Gentleman, which contained the top 10 hits "Closer" and "Miss Independent".


Ne-Yo was born in Camden, Arkansas, and baptized as Shaffer Chimere Smith. His father is African American and his mother is of mixed African American and Chinese American descent; both were musicians.

As a young child, he was raised by his mother alone after she separated from his father. In hopes of better opportunity, his mother relocated the family to Las Vegas, Nevada.



Ne-Yo emerged into the recording industry as member of the Las Vegas-based quartet Envy. After the group disbanded in 2000, Ne-Yo was signed to Columbia Records, but, after recording his first album, was dropped from the label before he could even release it. American singer Marques Houston happened to hear one of Ne-Yo's tracks, "That Girl", which was supposed to be the latter's debut single off his then-unreleased album. Houston rerecorded "That Girl" and released it as a single to his 2003 album MH. though all of which failed to give Ne-Yo much attention from the mainstream.

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