Ne-Yo

Born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1979 and raised in Las Vegas, Shaffer Chimere Smith, known as Ne‑Yo, established himself in the early 2000s as an R&B songwriter before releasing his own material. He gained recognition for writing for other artists—particularly in R&B and pop—and launched his solo career with the album In My Own Words (2006), noted for its focus on romantic themes and R&B melodies with soul inflections. Ne‑Yo followed with Because of You (2007) and Year of the Gentleman (2008), which solidified an aesthetic blending mid‑tempo ballads, hip‑hop–inspired productions and pop hooks aimed at a broad audience. Across subsequent projects—Libra Scale (2010), R.E.D. (2012), Non‑Fiction (2015), Good Man (2018) and Self Explanatory (2022)—the singer‑producer incorporated more dance and electronic elements, often through collaborations with pop and rap artists, while continuing to write for performers such as Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson. Alongside his studio work, Ne‑Yo regularly performs live, contributes to film soundtracks, appears on screen and serves as a judge and mentor on television shows focused on dance and musical performance.