About Neyo

In fact, he first broke into the music industry in 2004 as a songwriter for Mario on the hit song Let Me Love You. He began his own recording career in 2005.

Incidentally, Ne Yo was given the nick name by Shawn Milligan, a friend, who said he could actually ‘see’ music like Neo from the film The Matrix.

Ne Yo was born to an African American father and a Chinese American and African American mother, both of whom were musicians. His real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith. His parents split when Ne Yo was young, leaving him in the care of his mother, who moved with him from Camden, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ne Yo was raised in Las Vegas and during high school he was a part of the R&B Envy. The band broke up in 2000 but Ne Yo continued to write songs for various artists like Teedra Moses, Christina Millans, B2K, Mary J Blige, Faith Evans and Rihanna. In 2004, Mario’s Let Me Love You, written by Ne Yo became a US Billboard Hot 100 number 1 hit and stayed put for nine weeks. He had previously signed with Columbia Records, but the contract did not result in the release of any material.

During this time, Ne Yo got introduced to L A Reid of Def Jam Records and was signed to the label. In My Own Words was released in early 2006 and was a platinum sell out. The debut album opened at number one on Billboard 200. So Sick from the album was a large success, reaching number 1 on Billboard Hot 100. Later singles like When You’re Mad and Sexy Love did not enjoy as much success, but did peak at number 15 and 7 respectively on Billboard Hot 100. Because of You became Ne Yo’s second platinum album. It released in May 2007, again opening at number 1 on US Charts. The title track of the album made it to number 2 on US charts, but later singles were less successful.

In 2007, Ne Yo started his own recording label and studio, Compound Entertainment. The label has been associated with artists like Paula Campbell and Sixx John. The artist has also appeared in two films Save The Last Dance2 in 2006, and Stomp The Yard in 2007.

The latest album Year of the Gentleman was his most successful album to date in terms of critical reception as well as commercial success. Lead single Closer had already become a success making it to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The Album released in September 2008 to positive reviews, became a platinum selling record and got three Grammy nominations. He has won several awards for his work including 5 MOBO awards.