This is an accepted version of this page Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo (/ˈniːjoʊ/ NEE-yoh), is an American singer and songwriter.

Both songs, along with the follow-up singles "When You're Mad" and "Sexy Love", preceded the release of his debut studio album In My Own Words (2006), which peaked atop the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception.

Libra Scale (2010), Ne-Yo's fourth studio album, was met with mild success on international charts and reached number nine on the US Billboard 200.

Seeing an overall decline in commercial reception, he parted ways with Def Jam in favor of its coequal Universal Music Group subsidiary, Motown two years later.

According to Recording Industry Association of America, Ne-Yo has sold 29 million certified albums and singles in the United States.

While in the Las Vegas Academy, Smith adopted the stage name GoGo and joined an R&B group called Envy, who appeared during amateur night on Showtime at the Apollo[18] and on the short lived MTV series The Cut[19] (hosted by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC).

[23] American singer Marques Houston happened to hear "That Girl", which Ne-Yo had planned to release as his debut single from his then-unreleased album.

[25] After the successful release, Tina Davis, former A&R representative for Def Jam Recordings, arranged an informal meeting with label head L.A.

[24] Despite not seeking a new contract at the time, then-CEO of Def Jam Jay-Z signed Ne-Yo to a new deal after he performed for the label's executives.

Boosted by its popular second single "So Sick", the album debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling over 301,000 copies in its first week on sale.

Speaking to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Ne-Yo explained the thinking behind its title: "To me Year of the Gentleman is all about a persona, a swag and a charm.

[41] Ne-Yo made an appearance at New York ComicCon to announce that he was collaborating with Stan Lee for a Libra Scale comic.

Ne-Yo stated: "The album is based upon this short story which basically follows these three characters who are forced to choose between money-power-and-fame versus love.

On February 25, 2011, while on his tour in the United Kingdom, he announced his new album would be called Love and Passion and would be released in September, but this was proven false as the title was tentative.

Ne-Yo has also written songs for Mary J. Blige, JB, Beyoncé, Monica, Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, and Willow Smith's upcoming albums.

[51] The album's first official single, "Lazy Love", was released on June 12, 2012, and peaked at number forty-two on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

In July 2015, Ne-Yo collaborated with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike on a new song for the Tomorrowland anthem titled "Higher Place".

[66] He also made a cameo in the comedy film Girls Trip, starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Regina Hall.

[74][75][76][77] Ne-Yo frequently co-writes with Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen of the Norwegian production team Stargate.

Ne-Yo met them in a hallway at Sony Music Studios in New York, and knowing the team produced R&B records, decided to collaborate with them.

His works include: Rihanna's top-ten singles "Unfaithful", "Russian Roulette", and her number-one hit "Take a Bow", Mario Vazquez's "Gallery", Paula DeAnda's "Walk Away (Remember Me)", and Beyoncé Knowles' Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Irreplaceable", which stayed at the top of the chart for ten consecutive weeks.

Ne-Yo has also written songs for Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Carrie Underwood, Anastacia, Ciara, Corbin Bleu, Enrique Iglesias, and Dima Bilan.

[86] He also had started his own production company, Compound Entertainment, in 2007, and has hired several producers and songwriters in hopes of turning it into a full-fledged record label.

It successfully became a label, and artists such as RaVaughn, Paula Campbell, Sixx John, Adrienne Bailon and Shanell are now associated with Compound.

[91] He starred as the Tin Man in NBC's musical telecast adaptation of The Wiz alongside David Alan Grier, Elijah Kelley, Queen Latifah, Common, Amber Riley, Uzo Aduba and Mary J. Blige.

For his performance, he received a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie made for Television or Limited Series.

[97][98] In June 2010, Ne-Yo told Ebony that he and his then-girlfriend, Monyetta Shaw, were expecting their first child together – a girl due early in 2011.

[116] On August 22, 2011, Ne-Yo was sued along with rapper Pitbull and DJ Afrojack by actress Lindsay Lohan, claiming that their song "Give Me Everything" referenced her by name in the lyrics.

[117] On March 22, 2023, Ne-Yo was revealed to have been charged by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for violating investor-protection laws.

[121] During a television appearance in 2023, Ne-Yo made comments that were critical of transgender youth and gender affirming care for children.